The distribution of myofibroblasts and CD34-positive stromal cells in normal renal pelvis and ureter and their cancers
N. Kuroda1,2, N. Shimasaki3, E. Miyazaki2, T. Hamauzu2, M. Toi2, M. Hiroi2, T. Shuin3 and H. Enzan2
1Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Kochi Red Cross Hospital, Kochi, 2Department of Pathology, Program of Bioregulation and Genetics and 3Department of Urology, Program of Tumor Biology and Regulation, Kochi Medical School, Kochi University, Kochi, Japan.
Offprint requests to: Dr. Naoto Kuroda, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Kochi Red Cross Hospital, Shin-honamchi 2-chome 13-51, Kochi city, Kochi 783-8562 Japan. e-mail: nkurodakrch@yahoo.co.jp
Summary. In this article, we examined the distribution of myofibroblasts and CD34-positive stromal cells in normal renal pelvis and ureter and their cancers using immunohistochemistry. Eighteen tumors and normal tissues apart from the main tumor were examined. In the wall of normal renal pelvis and ureter, no myofibroblasts were observed through all layers, but CD34-positive stromal cells were observed in the deep area of lamina propria, muscular layer and adventitia. In the stroma of renal pelvic and ureteral cancers, myofibroblasts were distributed in fifteen tumors and were absent in three tumors. All three tumors containing no myofibroblasts in the stroma were non-invasive type and all invasive cancers contained myofibroblasts in the stroma. CD34-positive stromal cells were consistently absent in the stroma of cancers, irrespective of the invasiveness. Finally, myofibroblasts are major stromal components in renal pelvic and ureteral cancers, particularly in invasive cancers, and CD34-positive stromal cells are consistently absent or lost in the stroma of their cancers. These findings suggest that the invasion of renal pelvic and ureteral cancers may cause the phenotypic change of stromal cells. Histol Histopathol 21, 1303-1307 (2006)
Key words: Renal pelvis, Ureter, CD34-positive stromal cell, Myofibroblast
DOI: 10.14670/HH-21.1303