Amyloid stroma in a tubular carcinoma of palatal salivary gland.A histochemical and ultrastructural study

Abstract

Amyloid as defined by positive Congo red green birefringence and STB red birefringence was observed in the stroma of a tubular carcinoma of minor salivary gland origin. The amyloid exhibited additional histochemical characteristics of immunamyloid, viz., positive DMAB-nitrite and DC-reactions and spontaneous autofluorescence. Electron microscopic studies of the epithelial tumor cells displayed large amounts of cytoplasmic microfilaments similar to those present in the extracellular amyloid masses. It is suggested that the amyloid is derived from spontaneous assembly or polymerization of cytoplasmic microfibrils of the dying tumor cells as has been proposed for the amyloid associated with the calcifying epithelial odontogenic tumor (CEOT).