The growth type of early colorectal carcinoma was classified into two types. The first type is intramucosal polypoid growth (PG-Ca) and the second type nonpolypoid growth (NPG-Ca) which shows mainly massive infiltration of tumor cells below the submucosal layer. The incidence of adenoma-carcinoma sequence was 72 of 75 lesions (96.0%) in pedunculated polypoid carcinoma, and 61 of 71 lesions (85.9%) in sessile and broad-based polypoid carcinomas. Their average sizes were 15.0 and 18.7 mm, respectively. Submucosal invasive carcinoma (SM-Ca) showed a low incidence. They were detected as microscopical or scattered lesions with a few lymphatic and venous permeation. The NPG-Ca contained 32 lesions. Intramucosal carcinoma without adenoma showing slight depression consisted of ten lesions of which the average size was 5.1 mm. The other 22 lesions showed massive submucosal invasion with marked lymphatic and venous permeation. The average size was 10.3 mm being smaller than PG-Ca. Histologically, NPG-Ca was not accompanied with adenoma. The NPG-Ca arose from de novo carcinoma less than 10 mm in diameter and invaded into the submucosal layer. In advanced carcinoma, the PG-Ca showed a low incidence (21.8%), and almost all cases were of the NPG type (78.2%). The NPG advanced carcinomas increased in those over the size of 20 mm. It is concluded that nonpolypoid early colorectal carcinomas easily progress to advanced carcinoma, and de novo carcinoma occupied about 80% of colorectal carcinoma.

One hundred and one cases of clinical prostatic carcinoma (PCa), primary site, were analysed to define the interrelationship between tumour angiogenesis, histological grade, and bone marrow metastasis. Tumour angiogenesis was determined by the blood capillary density ratio (BCDR; a/b), defined as the ratio between the area of the blood capillaries (a) and the area of the tumour (b). The BCDR was evaluated by a colour image analysis system employing a computerized morphometrical method. A total of 43 cases of PCa with bone marrow metastasis (stage D2) and 58 cases of PCa without metastasis (stage B, C) were utilized. The prostatic carcinomas were classified into three groups (low, intermediate, and high) using Gleason's grading system. The BCDR of the primary PCa with bone marrow metastasis was similar in each of the three histologically graded scores. On the other hand, in the cases of PCa without metastasis, the BCDR of high score PCa was higher than those of the low and intermediate score PCa (U-test; P < 0.001). The BCDR of the high score PCa without metastasis was similar to that of the PCa with bone marrow metastasis. The BCDR may provide help in predicting tumour progression with regard to bone marrow metastasis of PCa with low and intermediate Gleason's scores.

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A case of uterine carcinosarcoma with extensive neuroectodermal differentiation occurring in a 54-year-old woman is described. Microscopically, the endometrial tumour was predominantly composed of a sheet-like proliferation of small- and medium-sized cells. These cells were characterized by fibrillary cytoplasmic processes, rosette-like formations, perivascular palisading patterns, and immunoreactivity for glial fibrillary acidic protein, synaptophysin, leu 7 and neuron-specific enolase. In limited areas, features of conventional carcinosarcoma, including squamous cell carcinoma, leiomyosarcoma and islands of the above mentioned small- to medium-sized cells that were intermingled, were observed. The tumour was aneuploid by flow cytometry. The patient is alive with tumour for three months. It is suggested that at least some cases of uterine primitive neuroectodermal tumour may be explained by one-sided neuroectodermal development within a carcinosarcoma.