[Histologic and ultrastructural features of human parathyroid cancer]

Histological and electron microscopic examinations of cancer of the human parathyroid gland showed different histological variants of cancer from dark chief cells to be characterized by polymorphism of the size and shape of the cells, atypical nuclei, a decreased number of organelles, increase of their polymorphism, appearance of centrioles with satellites typical of rapidly proliferating cells. Acidophilic cells of a solid variant of cancer were characterized by polymorphism of the size and shape, and the presence of a large number of mitochondria with osmiophilic or clear matrix and polymorphic cristae. All histological variants of cancer of the parathyroid gland have foci of necrosis, invasion of tumor cells into the gland capsule, and into the blood and lymph vessels.