Ultrastructure of the esophageal mucus glands in normal conditions and in esophageal cancer

: The ultrastructure of the glandular apparatus and epithelium of the excretory ducts of esophageal mucous glands proper normally and in esophageal carcinoma was studied electron microscopically. Acinar cells were represented by two kinds, "Dark" and "clear" cells reflecting alternating activity of the secretory cells. The ultrastructural features of the reserve cells of excretory ducts such as hypertrophy of the nucleus, scalloped nuclear membrane, high electron density of the nucleus and cytoplasm, abundance of ribosomes and polysomes allow them to be considered as low differentiated highly active cambial elements. In esophageal carcinoma, reserve cell proliferates of the excretory ducts were found to have granule-containing cells possibly related to the system of serotoninocytes. The reserve cells showed ultrastructural changes with signs of dysplasia.