A comparison of clinical course with blood group antigen testing by specific red cell adherence and immunoperoxidase in ureteral and renal pelvic tumors

Aberrant glycosylation in oral malignant and premalignant lesions

Cell surface carbohydrates serve as differentiation and developmental markers characteristic of different cell and tissue types. The expression of these carbohydrate antigens is often significantly altered in tumors, particularly in those arising from epithelial tissues. Analysis of cell surface carbohydrates in oral epithelium have shown that in normal epithelium they are expressed in a way that shorter carbohydrates are found on basal cells and that these carbohydrate structures are elongated parallel to terminal differentiation. The carbohydrate expression is altered in oral carcinomas and in some oral premalignant lesions. The change in carbohydrate expression can at present be explained by the lack of synthesis of specific glycosyltransferases. We have found mosaicism in the expression of carbohydrate antigens in all tumors and have found that the expression of a specific carbohydrate in the deep invasive parts of the tumor correlates with tumor prognosis.

Loss of expression of blood group antigen H is associated with cellular invasion and spread of oral squamous cell carcinomas

Membrane-bound carbohydrates may influence the metastatic behavior of cancer cells. Forty-two squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) of the buccal and maxillary alveolar mucosa were studied retrospectively using a monoclonal antibody (BE2) that reacts with blood group H (type 2 chain) structure. H-antigen staining within the entire tumor did not correlate with the stage of the tumor, i.e., spread of the tumors. However, loss of staining within the most invasive sites of the tumors correlated significantly with the stage of tumor development and histologic grade of malignancy. These findings support the view that features relating to the cells of deeper parts of the carcinomas are very important for the clinical behavior of the tumors, and that loss of H-antigen expression is related to the stage of tumor and invasion of carcinoma cells.

Loss of expression of blood group antigen H is associated with cellular invasion and spread of oral squamous cell carcinomas

Membrane-bound carbohydrates may influence the metastatic behavior of cancer cells. Forty-two squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) of the buccal and maxillary alveolar mucosa were studied retrospectively using a monoclonal antibody (BE2) that reacts with blood group H (type 2 chain) structure and an immunoperoxidase (avidin-biotin peroxidase complex) staining technique. H-antigen staining within the entire tumor did not correlate with the stage of the tumor, i.e., tumor spread. However, loss of staining within the most invasive sites of the tumors correlated significantly with the stage of tumor development and histologic grade of malignancy. These findings support the view that features regarding the cells of deeper parts of the carcinomas are very important for the clinical behavior of the tumors and that loss of H-antigen expression is related to the stage of the tumor and invasion of carcinoma cells.

Tumor-associated blood group antigen expressions and immunoglobulins associated with tumors

As outlined in Figures 1 and 2, the biosynthetic pathways for the expression of the A, B and H, and the Lewis determinant carbohydrate sequence structures, as well as sialylated structures, involves both type 1 and type 2 precursor chains (which may be present as glycolipids and N- or O-linked glycoproteins), and many glycosyltransferases. For tumor cells, there appears to be increased expressions of fucosyl- and sialyltransferases yielding such structures as the Le(x), sialyl-Le(a), and many other similar determinants, which are not found on the normal cell progenitor of the tumor. The types of structures expressed on tumor cells is dependent on the particular fucosyl-, sialyl- and other glycosyltransferase genes activated in the transformation and tumor progression events, the availability of the substrates for the glycosyltransferases (both the precursor sequences and the nucleotide-sugar substrates) which is partly dependent on metabolites available to the tumor mass, and on the genotype of the individual regarding particular glycosyltransferases. Both the loss of A, B and/or H blood group antigen expressions of tumor cells and the relative expressions of the Lewis and sialylated-oligosaccharide determinants may be a consequence of the competing biosynthetic pathways and the glycosyltransferases for common substrate sequences, as well as due to the loss of particular glycosyltransferases concomitant with transformation. All of these factors probably account for the variable expressions of the complex of carbohydrate sequence determinants when comparing tumor sections of different individuals as well as the heterogeneity of expression of particular determinants within a single tumor tissue section. As described above, the A, B and/or H determinants, and the precursor sequences, are also expressed to differing extents on epithelial cells depending on the tissue type and cellular location in the tissue. Thus, the differentiation state of the particular epithelial cell also determines the quantity and types of carbohydrate sequences expressed. However, because of the complex nature of the competing biosynthetic pathways for the carbohydrate sequences of glycolipids and glycoproteins, and the relative activations of fucosyl- and sialyltransferases of tumor cells, it would seem that simple deductions as to the state of differentiation of particular tumors with A, B, H and precursor sequence expressions is not warranted.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Clinical analysis of ureteral tumours with or without renal pelvic neoplasms

Twelve patients with ureteral tumours with or without ipsilateral renal pelvic neoplasms were retrospectively analysed. Haematuria was the most common symptom. Location of all tumours was preoperatively detected by conventional diagnostic methods, such as intravenous or retrograde pyelography, washing cytology of the upper urinary tract, computed tomography, echogram and abdominal aortography. Cumulative proportion survivals of 1, 3 and 5 years were 81.9%, 68.2% and 45.5%, respectively. Patients with high Karnovsky rating survived longer (p less than 0.05) than those with low rating. Patients with low-stage tumours (T1, T2) showed longer survival rate (p less than 0.001) than those with high-stage tumours (T3, T4). Vascular invasion of tumour cells was present in removed specimens in 4 out of 7 patients who died or are alive with cancer, but none in those who survived without disease. Good therapeutic response could not be achieved unless surgery was performed.

A, B and H antigens in normal urothelium: an immunohistochemical study using monoclonal antibodies with the avidin-biotin complex technique

Immunohistochemical staining for the A, B and H blood group antigens was studied in 61 normal human ureters using monoclonal antibodies with avidin-biotin complex application. Thirty-seven of these were archival material, and 24 were processed prospectively. In 100 per cent of the prospectively processed ureters, A, B and H antigens were demonstrated corresponding to the blood type of the source. Archival material stained for A, B and H 65 per cent, 50 per cent and 100 per cent of the time, respectively. Serial sampling of prospectively processed ureters showed diminution of staining with prolongation of immersion in formalin. A characteristic staining pattern was found in ureters from patients with type B blood.