Background/Aim. Myomas of the uterus, the most common benign tumors, have
been studied for decades from the aspects of different basic and clinical
disciplines. Despite this fact, their pathogenesis is still poorly
understood. The aim of this study was to determine immunocytochemical
characteristics of smooth muscle cells and connective tissue components of
submucosal myomas of the uterus. Method. During the course of this study, 25
samples of submucosal myomas of the uterus were analyzed, all of them
obtained during the surgery, after abdominal histerctomy by Aldridge. The
samples were fixed in 4% formalin and embedded in paraffin. Sections of 5 ?m
thickness were stained immunocytochemically using the DAKO LSAB+/HRP
technique to identify ?- smooth muscle actin (?-SMA), vimentin, desmin, CD34,
CD45, CD68 and PCNA (DAKO specification). Results. Our results suggest that
submucosal myomas of the uterus are build-up of smooth muscle cells which are
immunoreactive to ?-SMA and desmin, but also to a certain number of smooth
muscle cells which are immunoreactive to ?-SMA and vimentin. Some of
vimentin-immunoreactive cells also show an immunoreactivity of PCNA. In the
build-up of connective stroma CD34-immunoreactive fibroblasts and neovascular
formations are also present. By examining the distribution of CD45 antigen,
at all the analyzed samples we observed a weak reaction. Conclusion.
Submucosal myomas of the uterus are made-up of smooth muscle cells of the
highly differentiated contractile phenotype (?-SMA- and
desminimmunoreactivity), as well as smooth muscle cell of the synthetic
phenotype which proliferate (?-SMA-, vimentin- and PCNA-immunoreactivity). In
submucosal myoma of the uterus there is a significant presence of connective
tissue as a result of synthetic activity of fibroblasts, which clearly differ
in their immunocytochemical characteristics from smooth muscle cells of the
synthetic phenotype.
Immunocytochemical characteristics of submucosal uterine myomas