LECTINS IN THE VULVA - I - NORMAL VULVAR EPITHELIUM AND EPITHELIUM ADJACENT TO VULVAR INTRAEPITHELIAL NEOPLASIA AND SQUAMOUS-CELL CARCINOMA

Lectins were used to investigate the cell surface oligosaccharide expr ession in normal vulvar epithelium from premenopausal and postmenopaus al volunteer women. In addition, histologically normal epithelium adja cent to high-grade vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia (VIN III) and adja cent to vulvar tumors was examined with lectins for evidence of a poss ible ''field change'' surrounding these vulvar lesions, Seventeen vulv ar biopsies were obtained prospectively from volunteer women, and 20 a nd 40 cases, respectively, of VIN III and vulvar squamous cell carcino ma were randomly chosen from pathology archives, Thirteen of the 20 VI N cases and all 40 vulvar carcinomas contained al least 2 cm of histol ogically normal-appearing epithelium adjacent to the vulvar lesion sui table for analysis. No alterations to lectin binding in normal vulvar epithelium with respect to patient age, menopausal status, phase of me nstrual cycle, estrogen therapy, or history of cervical intraepithelia l neoplasia were shown, ABO blood group antigen status affected epithe lial binding for lectins HPA and UEAI (p <0.005 and p <0.001, respecti vely), In addition, lectins SNA, MPA, and LCA identified markers of ce llular differentiation and maturation. T-antigen expression (as shown by the lectin PNA) was almost universally present in histologically no rmal epithelium adjacent to VIN and vulvar tumors, contrasting with th e lack of PNA binding in normal vulvar epithelium from volunteer women (p <0.001 and p <0.001), a finding suggestive of a local ''field chan ge'' surrounding preinvasive and invasive vulvar lesions.