A new method for detecting activated and neoplastic mesothelial cells in serous effusions (1980)

This short report described a staining method the authors proposed for telling activated and cancerous mesothelial cells apart from cancer cells that had spread from elsewhere (metastatic cells), in fluid that collects in body cavities (serous effusions). Cells were stained by Papanicolaou's method, treated with ethyl alcohol, stained again by a modified periodic acid-Schiff method with longer Schiff's reagent treatment, and viewed under a phase contrast microscope. The authors tested it on fluid from 300 cases of metastatic mucus-producing carcinomas and 20 cases of malignant mesothelioma. The mesothelioma diagnoses rested on tissue from chest operations (thoracotomies), were confirmed at necropsy in seven cases, and were reviewed by a European Communities mesothelioma panel. All mesothelioma fluid specimens showed bright blue granules and masses in the cell cytoplasm. None of the 300 metastatic tumour specimens did. The authors concluded the pattern appeared distinctive for mesothelial cells. They said its chemical basis was still being investigated and suggested testing on a larger series. The article did not study asbestos exposure.

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From J-M's medical library

This copy comes from the Johns-Manville medical library. It was among the papers J-M kept in its medical library without an index entry.

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