Comparative study of primary and secondary tumors from patients with laryngeal and oropharyngeal cancer, using transmission electron microscopy

Abstract

In modern laboratories, the study of cancer is performed using a series of cellular and molecular methods based on optical instruments measurements. Optical and electron microscopy are valuable tools for revealing morphological features of cancer cells. Our study was focused on laryngeal and oropharyngeal cancers, which have nowadays an increased incidence, especially for women, due to unhealthy habits like tobacco and alcohol consumption. We used transmission electron microscopy (TEM) for highlighting the ultrastructural features of cancer cells, both in primary and secondary tumors. The primary tumor is considered that which appears for the first time, at a certain organ; the secondary tumor is that which reappears at the same region or neighbouring regions, at a certain interval of time after the primary one has been surgically removed. The differences between the inner architecture of the cells from primary and secondary tumors where correlated with the expression of some genes (oncogenes and tumor suppressor factors), in order to establish the aggressiveness of the tumor, in different disease stages. The main stress in the study is placed upon electron microscopy, in order to achieve a more precise characterization of both these type of cancer cells. These ultrastructural data complete the image of laryngeal and pharyngeal cancer cells, along with molecular data obtained by Real-Time PCR.