Expression of peanut agglutinin-binding carbohydrates correlates with nodal involvement in human lung adenocarcinoma.

The expression of 15 kinds of lectin-binding carbohydrates was examined histochemically in lung adenocarcinoma. The relation between expression of lectin binding carbohydrates and clinicopathologic factors was studied. The expression of peanut agglutinin (PNA) binding carbohydrates showed a high lymph node metastatic rate. Relation between PNA-binding carbohydrate expression and lymphatic vessel invasion was also recognized. Multivariate analysis showed that PNA-binding carbohydrate expression was an independent predictive factor of lymph node metastasis (odds ratio: 2.8) and of lymphatic vessel invasion (odds ratio: 5.2). The expression of PNA-binding carbohydrates would be a significant predictive factor for lymph node metastasis of lung adenocarcinomas.

Carbohydrate expression profile of colorectal cancer cells is relevant to metastatic pattern and prognosis.

Carbohydrate expression of cancer cells is closely related to the metastatic nature of colorectal cancer. In the present study we investigated the relevance of carbohydrate expression profiles of colorectal cancer cells in the primary lesion to metastatic distribution patterns as well as prognosis in 134 cases. Carbohydrate expression was estimated by histochemistry with 17 kinds of lectins and 3 kinds of Lewis-related monoclonal antibodies (MAbs), and correlations between the staining and clinicopathological parameters were examined. The results showed that lymphatic invasion, lymph node metastasis, and peritoneal metastasis correlated with staining with lectins that bind galactose/N-acetylgalactosamine residues (Gal/GalNAc) such as Maclura pomifera (MPA), Arachis hypogaea (PNA), Helix pomatia (HPA), and Vicia villosa (VVA). In contrast, hepatic metastasis correlated with staining with Anguilla anguilla lectin (AAA), anti-LewisX (LEX-2), anti-sialyl Lewisa (NS 19-9), and anti-sialyl-dimeric LewisX (FH-6) MAbs, all of which bind preferentially to fucosylated carbohydrate chains. The five-year survival rate of patients was related to the staining of cancers with MPA, HPA, FH-6 or NS19-9, and MPA- and FH-6 staining were independent prognostic factors. We conclude that carbohydrate expression profiles of cancer cells are relevant to the route of tumor cell dissemination, metastatic pattern as well as prognosis of colorectal cancer.