Mast cells (MC) are known to play an important role in IgE-dependent allergic reaction, host defense against parasite infestation, local hemostasis, inflammation, and angiogenesis. The significance of MC in tumor surveillance has been studied with conflicting results. The presence of MC in tumor has been described as evidence of a host immunologic antitumor response, and a high count of tumor-associated MC has been considered as a favorable prognostic factor in sarcomas. In other studies, MC have been shown to have an adverse role in neoplastic proliferation. In this study, tumor-associated MC were histologically quantitated in 75 soft tissue sarcomas. We found that soft tissue sarcomas with a higher MC count (n=or>six) were associated with significant better survival and relatively low incidence of metastasis in contrast to those with a lower count (n<six). There was no correlation between MC count and the histologic type, grade, or size of the sarcomas. Although the role of mast cells in tumor surveillance is still under investigation, quantitive assessment of tumorassociated MC on routine histologic sections could be used as an additional prognostic factor in soft tissue sarcomas.
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