[Morphogenetic potentials of the enterochromaffin cells in tumor growth]

The structure of 69 argentaffine-cell serotonin-producing carcinoids was studied. The concentration of cells which display the morphofunctional characteristics of enterochromaffin cells was found to vary within a wide range: from constituting the bulk of cell element population to few or even solitary cells. The variegated histological patterns observed in carcinoids suggest different types of secretion of EC-cells; para-, endo- and sometimes-exocrine secretion. Tumor cells produce amines and polypeptide hormones. The functional significance of lipids frequently identified in carcinoids remains to be established. Since endocrine cells at different stages of differentiation and mucus-producing ones occur in the same tumors, it is suggested that both originate from the cambial elements of the epithelial lining of mucous membranes.