MUCIN SECRETION BY GASTRIC-CARCINOMA CELLS - PAS-ALCIAN-BLUE STAIN STUDY

Thirty cases of gastric cancer were studied, Slides were stained with PAS Alcian Blue, The staining characteristics of the mucin were correl ated with gross characteristics of the tumours and histological types, Due to the few cases studied, there was no observed statistical signi ficance between the various mucin staining characteristics with the hi stological type, sex site of tumour and ethnicity. In 84 % of cases th e tumour cells secreted either neutral or mixed mucins. Acid mucins we re demonstrated in 5 cases only, Neutral mucin is normally secreted by gastric epithelium and neck cells of gastric glands, The observation in this study suggests that those tumours which secrete neutral and mi xed mucin probably arise from gastric epithelium, neck cells of gastri c glands or colonic metaplasia, In those cases where the tumour produc es acid mucin it is Possible the tumour arose from areas of intestinal metaplasia.