PATHOLOGY OF THE SALIVARY-GLANDS - THE CONTRIBUTION OF ELECTRON-MICROSCOPY

Electron microscopy has a limited role in the diagnosis of primary sal ivary gland tumors, although it can be helpful in metastatic lesions o f possible salivary gland origin. The diversity of subtypes in salivar y gland tumors, as well as the range of histomorphology within any one subtype, is unparalleled in any other human tumor. This and their rel ative infrequency causes diagnostic problems for pathologists. Ultrast ructural techniques have been of major importance in determining the i nter-relationship of these tumors for classification purposes, reveali ng the subtle variations in common cellular differentiation pathways, determining the organization of tumor cells, and displaying the import ance of extracellular matrix materials in establishing diagnostic crit eria for each of the many subtypes. Electron microscopy has also been valuable in non-neoplastic salivary gland disease and has an increasin g role in experimental studies involving tissue from human and animal salivary parenchyma. (C) 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.