LECTIN HISTOCHEMICAL-STUDY OF CHOLANGIOCARCINOMA ARISING FROM STONE-BEARING INTRAHEPATIC BILE-DUCT

With the purpose of studying changes in the expression of glycoconjuga te structures in cholangiocarcinoma and the nonneoplastic epithelium o f stone-bearing intrahepatic bile ducts, a panel of 12 biotinylated le ctins were used on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue sections f rom 13 patients who had undergone surgical resection of cholangiocarci noma and on nonneoplastic stone-bearing intrahepatic bile ducts from 1 0 patients. Of the 13 patients with cholangiocarcinoma 10 had hepatoli thiasis and 3 did not. Among the 12 lectins, only wheat germ agglutini n (WGA) stained the cholangiocarcinoma and nonneoplastic epithelium of the stone-bearing intrahepatic bile duct. All nonneoplastic epithelia of stone-bearing intrahepatic bile ducts were stained heavily and hom ogenously by WGA, the GlcNAC-specific lectin. The high columnar epithe lium of both intramural and extramural glands was stained in the supra nuclear region, while the low columnar epithelium of serous acini was stained in the whole cytoplasm. In the well-differentiated cholangioca rcinoma, the WGA weakly stained the neoplastic cells in the supranucle ar region, while it stained the luminal cytoplasmic membrane heavily. In the poorly-differentiated cholangiocarcinoma, about 50% of cancer c ells were stained with WGA. The carcinoma was moderately stained in th e cytoplasm. Less reactivity and a lower percentage of cells stained w ith lectin were found in cholangiocarcinomas when compared to nonneopl astic epithelia. This led us to conclude that there is a dramatic decr ease in lectin-binding carbohydrate structures associated with cholang iocarcinoma progression. (C) 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.