Cell renewal in precancerous and tumour states of the gastro-intestinal mucosa

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

Measurements of epithelial cell proliferation in the various disease states of the gastric mucosa thought to be pre-neoplastic reveal in all instances values which are elevated over those of the normal tissue, both in animals and man. In addition, alterations in the distribution of DNA-synthesizing cells have also been observed. In hyperplastic gastric pits of MNNG-treated rats, two different patterns could be seen; one characterized by a marked downward extension of the proliferative compartment toward the muscularis mucosae; the other showing a surge of proliferation activity in the upward direction toward the luminal surface. In man, studies combining3H-TdR labeling alterations with morphological changes observed in the tissue indicated that four different and possibly sequential p proliferative patterns were present in atrophic gastritis. Among precancerous conditions in the large bowel, the ulcerative colitis is characterized by an increase in the number of DNA-synthesizing cells, a faster migration rate and an expansion of the proliferative compartment to the surface. In adenomatous colyps likewise, a higher L.I. has been observed compared to the normal mucosa; cell proliferation takes places along the entire gland, and predominates at the luminal surface. In human colorectal carcinomas, a wide variation in L.I. and growth fraction has been observed, possibly related to the relative activity of therapeutic regimens.