ISSN:
1365-2559
Source:
Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
Topics:
Medicine
Notes:
Aims: To investigate the relationship between sialylation of glycoconjugates and clinicopathological characteristics of gastric cancer.Methods and results: Sialylation of glycoconjugates was examined histochemically in 71 gastric cancers using Maackia amurensis leukoagglutinin (MAL), a lectin that recognizes the trisaccharide sequence NeuAcα2,3Galβ1,4GlcNAc/Glc. Positive staining with MAL was observed in the tumour region of all of the samples, but the populations of MAL-positive tumour cells in the tumour region varied among the samples. In the corresponding non-cancerous regions, however, no positive staining was observed. Calculating the percentage of MAL-positive tumour cells as part of the total tumour cells with respect to the MAL-staining index (MI) allowed the gastric cancer to be classified into two distinct groups: high and low levels of MI, with a cut-off level of 40% of MI. Furthermore, statistical analyses using the MI level and clinicopathological characteristics of the tumour indicated that a high MI level in gastric tumour tissues is related to a poorer prognosis.Conclusions: The appearance of MAL-positive glycoconjugates in gastric tumour cells is associated with the behaviour of gastric cancer.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2559.2003.01557.x
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