Amphicrine cells in the peritumoral gastric mucosa

Electron microscopic researches pointed out the existence of amphicrine cells in the peritumoral mucosa on specimens of surgically resected gastric cancer. According to the ultrastructural features two cell subtypes were distinguished: mucoenterochromaffine (EC1, EC2) and empty clear mucoforming cells, corresponding to the mucoargentaffine and mucoargyrophobic types, respectively as the literature showed. Our results showed the amphicrine cells may be interpreted as transformed pathological endocrine cells under gastric cancer conditions.