Total sialic acid content in endometrial cancer tissue in relation to normal and hyperplastic human endometrium

The aim of this study was to measure the total sialic acid (TSA) content in endometrial cancer tissue and to assess its relationship to clinicopatholo gic features of the malignancy. Tissue TSA content was measured in 42 women with endometrial cancer, 14 women with endometrial hyperplasia, and 45 wom en with normal endometrium in the proliferative phase (n = 16) and secretor y phase (n = 29) of the menstrual cycle using the Warren procedure. The mea n TSA content in endometrial cancer (2.16 mu mol/gm) was significantly high er in comparison to normal endometrium in both proliferative (1.23 mu mol/g m) and secretory (1.51 mu mol/gm) phases. TSA content in the hyperplastic e ndometrium (1.56 mu mol/gm) was higher as compared to the normal endometriu m, but the differences were not statistically significant. An increased TSA content in the neoplastic endometrium in relation to the normal endometriu m supports the view that the development of endometrial cancer is associate d with the increasing content of sialic acid in the tumor tissue.