The role of mast cells and angiogenesis in benign and malignant neoplasms of the uterus.

In this study, we looked for a relationship between the extent of angiogenesis and mast cell density (MCD) in human leiomyomas and endometrial carcinomas (EC), and investigated the clinicopathological relevance of mast cells (MCs) in EC. Specimens of 15 control, 20 leiomyoma, and 23 EC patients were investigated immunohistochemically using anti-CD31 and anti-tryptase antibodies. In EC, both stromal and myometrial expressions of CD31 were significantly higher than in the controls (p<0.