Comparison between the concentration of mast cells and risk criteria of malignancy in intestinal adenomas

intestinal adenomas are benign neoplasms that present a risk of malignancy associated with three independent characteristics: the polyp size, the histological architecture and the severity of epithelial dysplasia (or atypia). current evidence suggests that mast cells (cm) contribute to the tumorigenesis of colorectal carcinomas. objective: compare the concentration of cm in intestinal adenomas and risk criteria for malignancy in these tumors (size, histological type and degree of cellular atypia). methods: we conducted a retrospective study with 102 anatomopathological reports of intestinal adenoma excision. we selected paraffin blocks with the central area of the tumor. the cm were stained with toluidine blue. results: in most cases (89.2%, n=91), the mast cells concentration (mc) was less than 6 cm/10 high power field (hpf) (p=0.0001). most adenomas, regardless of their histological type, showed 0 cm/10 hpf (p=0.083). in most adenomas, regardless of their size, mc was 0 cm/10 hpf (p=0.665). presence or absence of atypia was associated, in most cases, with mc of 0 cm/10 hpf (p=0.524). conclusion: this study did not show association between the mc and histological type, size or presence of atypical cells in intestinal adenomas.