Electron Microscopy of the Human Cervical Cancer, with Especial Reference to the Change of Radiation and its Radiosensitivity

I have examined 57 cases of the uterine cervical cancer and 2 cases of the normal uterine cervix (non-pregnant and pregnant) with electron microscope. 1) Normal uterine cervix. The nucleocytoplasmic ratio becomes lower, and mitochondria a fewer from the profundal layer to the superficial one. The intercellular bridge develops in superficial spinal layer highly, and the cytoplasmic communication may be seen at one part of bridge. The tonofibrils of neighbouring cells don't connect with each other, and they make themselves into a bundle in the intercellular bridge and build the Bizozzero's node described by Porter and Takaki. But the situation and relationship of the Biyozzero's node in the bridge don't quite accord with their opinions. During pregnancy the cytoplasm of superficial layer is rather granular than fibrous, and characteristic intercellular sinus may also be recognized. 2) Carcinoma of the cervix. The structure of cellular border is simple in the epidermoid carcinoma. The mitochondia, endoplasmic reticulnm and Golgi body are observed in the cytoplasm. Although there is no statistical significancy, inclusion bodies have tendency to increase by radiation. The nuclear membrane is double layered, but doesn't look such thickening as observed with optical microscope. The onucleoplasm is composed of fine granules which become coarse or nodular by degeneration. The nucleoli have no definite form. They consist of highly electron dense particles and possess no limiting membranes. There are many mitotic figures in cancer cells. The cell, on the whole, revealed 3 stratified structure in the prophase, and 2 stratified one in the metaphase. In the adenocarcinoma, I notice the characteristic findings that have many vacuoles and lipid or secretory granules in its cytoplasm. 3) Autolytic changes of cervical cancer. The extirpated cancer tissue shows remarkable changes within 40 minutes in 20°C normal saline solution. 4) Changes of cancer cells incident to radiation. The radiative change differs from the autolytic one in quantity and duration. The fatty and vacuolar degeneration, giant cell and inclusion body appear in the radiation newly, but not in the autolysis. There is no essential difference between x-ray and radium about the effect. The mitochondrias are the first to suffer from radiation, but the nuclear and the cell membrane are the last to change. As the radiative changes, the thickening of nuclear membrane, vacuolar degeneration and congregated picture of nucleoplasm are hardly seen in the electron microscopy, but not rarely in the optical one. 5) Relationship of radiosensitivity of uterine cervical carcinoma to histopathological picture and clinical findings. The spindle type is more radiosensitive than the transitional and spinal one. Especially the significant difference was recognized between the spindle and the transitional. The high density of cancer cells is more sensitive than the low significantly. But the radiosensitivity has no significant relation with Imai's C. P. L. classification and the other clinical findings. About the radiosensitivity, the electron microscopical findings accord with the optical one relatively