Adenocarcinoma of the human salivary gland exhibits orange-stained nuclei on a green background of cellular components when stained with propidium diiodide and FITC.

Incident light fluorescence microscopy is growing rapidly in importance as an investigational tool in the fields of medical and biological research. All photomicrographs in this gallery were taken with Olympus microscopes employing UIS optics and a PM-30 automatic camera system. The specimen is a stained thin section of human salivary gland infected with adenocarcinoma and double-stained using a mixture of FITC, lectin, and propidium diiodide. Photomicrographs were recorded utilizing a UPL 40x fluorite objective coupled to a WIB dichroic filter combination. A 5x projection photo eyepiece was used to transfer light from the intermediate image plane to the photographic emulsion.

Cancers come in three forms; leukemias and lymphomas, which affect the blood stream and the lymph system; sarcomas, which affect the connective tissue, such as cartilage, muscle, or bone; and carcinoma, which affects the epithelial tissue that forms the skin and the linings of the internal organs. Adenocarcinomas are a type of carcinoma that arise from cells that excrete mucous or other substances. Most breast cancers are adenocarcinomas, but the intestinal tract is the most common site for these tumors, colon cancer being the most prevalent form. Adenocarcinomas also affect the pancreas, lungs, ovaries in women, and prostate in men.