[Lysosomal enzymes in the neoplastic pathology of the uterine cervix. Study of acid phosphatase in the diagnostic test of vaginal secretions in patients with pre-invasive and invasive cancer of the uterine cervix. I. Methods and preliminary experiences]. / Gli enzimi lisosomiali nella patologia neoplastica del collo dell'utero Studio della fosfatasi acida quale test diagnostico nei secreti vaginali di pazienti portatrici di ca. preinvasivi e invasivi del collo dell'utero. Nota I - Metodiche ed esperienze preliminari

Gomori's method was used in the detection of positive -- or negative -- phosphatase granulations and their intracellular locations in vaginal secretions from 10 normal women and 20 patients with cervical neoplasia in various stages. Positive-phosphatase granulations were absent in normal subjecta and those with advanced neoplasia, whereas mainly large and medium-sized paranuclear positive granulations were a prominent feature of epithelial cells from patients from state 0-ToNoMo carcinomas. Further details will be given in a second note.

[Acid phosphatase activity in breast dysplasias and in carcinomas of the breast]. / L'attività della fosfatasi acida nelle displasie mammarie e nei carcinomi della mammella

The histochemical reactions of acid phosphatase were studied in tissues deriving from normal breasts, from mammary dysplasia, and from breast carcinoma. Acid phosphatase was demonstrated in all cases with more intense activity in breast carcinoma where activity was particularly accentuated in the stroma. In benign tumours and fibroadenosis, phosphatase was prevalently localized in the periductal cells and within the ducts. Exceptions were the cases of fibroadenosis with acute or chronic collateral inflammation where phosphatase granules were located in the stroma also, even though they were always quantitatively inferior to the corresponding localization of cases of breast carcinomas.

[Activity of lysosomal alpha-arylsulfatase and beta-glucuronidase enzymes in benign and malignant breast tumors]. / L'attività degli enzimi lisosomiali alpha-arilsolfatasi e beta-glucuronidasi nei tumori benigni e maligni della mammella

The total activity per microgram of protein of alpha-arylsulphatase and beta-glucuronidase lysosomial enzymes has been determined in 20 cases of benign and malignant breast tumour. The activity of lysosomial enzymes of the normal breast tissue was always much lower than in neoplastic tissues. The difference is already fairly marked in the case of benign tumours and cystic fibroadenosis, but reaches its peak in malignant tumours where activity is 4-5 times higher than normal values. In the case of total activity, the reference is to one ml of homogenate in distilled water, and in the case of specific activity to mg of protein of the homogenate, in either case the findings are highly significant. Although these researches are at a preliminary stage, they confirm the importance of lysosomial enzyme modifications in the phenomenon of neoplastic growth in the breast.