EXPRESSION OF SIALOSYL-TN IN INTESTINAL-TYPE CANCER-CELLS OF HUMAN GASTRIC CANCERS

A sample of 219 primary stomach cancers, 143 advanced cancers and 76 e arly cancers were examined for mucin histochemical staining (the parad oxical concanavalin A method, the galactose oxidase-Schiff [GOS] react ion, and the sialidase-GOS reaction) and immunohistochemical reactivit y (pepsinogen [Pg] I, Pg II SH-9 and TKH-2). Gastric cancer cells were clearly classified according to mucin histochemistry into a gastric t ype, including mucus neck cell, pyloric gland cell and surface mucus c ell types, and an intestinal type, including goblet-cell, and intestin al absorptive cell types. TKH-2 monoclonal antibody, which recognizes the mucin-associated sialosyl-Tn antigen, reacted with the mucin of go blet cells in both the normal small intestine and in the intestinal me taplasia of the stomach. Sixty-five of 106 (61%) differentiated adenoc arcinomas and 76 of 113 (67%) undifferentiated adenocarcinomas had ove r 10% of their cancer cells positive for TKH-2. The TKH-2-positive can cers were primarily classified as a goblet-cell type by mucin-histoche mical staining and the other immunohistochemical staining methods. The refore, it is concluded that sialosyl-Tn is an excellent marker ot sma ll intestinal mucins and is indicative of a small intestinal type of d ifferentiation in two-thirds of gastric cancers.