Fine structural comparison of Ewing's sarcoma with neuroblastoma

Abstract

Two cases of Ewing's sarcoma and two neuroblastoma, rosette forming and round cell type, were studied electron microscopically and their fine structures were compared. The neoplastic cells of Ewing's sarcoma were characterized by aggregated glycogen particles in the cytoplasm. They had pseudopod-like cytoplasmic processes having tight junctions, which never contained microtubules or mitochondria. Ewing's sarcoma cells exhibited several stages of cell maturation and some mature cells possessed a large amount of smooth and rough endoplasmic reticulum, large Golgi complexes and numerous phagosomes containing glycogen particles as well as cytoplasmic organelles. The neoplastic cells of neuroblastoma, rosette forming type, were characterized by synaptic junctions and numerous cytoplasmic processes with production of neurites containing microtubules, neurofibrils, mitochondria and a few catecholamine granules. A few cytoplasmic processes containing mitochondria were observed even in the round cell type.