S100 PROTEIN-POSITIVE DENDRITIC CELLS AND THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THEIR DENSITY IN GASTRIC PRECANCEROUS LESIONS

Quantitative analysis of dendritic cells (DC’s) was carried out in tissue specimens of normalgastric mucosa (n=15),gastric ulcer (n=19),chronic atrophic gastritis (n=28),and gastriccarcinoma (n=65) by ABC immunostaining with S100 protein antibody.Significant increasein DC number were observed in chronic atrophic gastritis with type Ⅲ intestinal metaplasiaand/or grade Ⅱ,Ⅲ dysplasia.The result suggests that DC’s are potentially capable opresenting neoantigens associated with malignant transformation at the precancerous stagewhen malignant morphological changes have not yet taken place.Combined with routinediagnostic methods,the serial monitoring of DC density in gastric mucosa may be usefulin the follow-up of premalignant lesions in the stomach and the diagnosis of early gastriccarcinoma.