Lymph node metastasis-related carbohydrate epitopes of gastric cancer withsubmucosal invasion

This study was conducted to examine the lymph node metastasis-related carbo hydrate epitopes of cancer cells in primary lesions of gastric cancer with submucosal invasion (sm gastric cancer). A total of 118 formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded surgical specimens were studied. Carbohydrate epitopes we re detected histochemically using 17 kinds of biotin-labeled lectins and th ree kinds of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against Thomsen-Friedenreich anti gen (HB-T1), Tn (HB-Tn1), and sialyl Tn antigens (HB-STn1). The node-positi ve group showed significantly lower reactivities with Ricinus communis I (R CA-I), Lotus tetragonolobus (Lotus), Triticum vulgaris (WGA), and Concanava lia ensiformis (ConA), and higher reactivities with HB-STn1, When sm gastri c cancer was classified into differentiated and undifferentiated types, low er reactivities with RCA-I and ConA were observed in the differentiated typ e cancers, whereas lower reactivities with Lotus, WGA, and higher reactivit y with HB-STn1 were observed in the undifferentiated type cancers. Nodal st atus was able to be predicted with high precision by a combination of these carbohydrates and histological subtypes. Since neuraminidase treatment rar ely changed the reactivity of cancer cells with these lectins, we conclude that the loss of certain kinds of carbohydrates that are restricted by hist ological subtypes is related to lymph node metastasis in sm gastric cancer.