Histochemical and morphometric studies of endocervical type adenocarcinoma in the cervix uteri

The histochemical analyses of glycoproteins were performed on specimens of endocervical type adenocarcinoma of uterine cervical carcinoma (EA) (40 cases) and normal cervices (19 cases) by the following methods: (1) Modified Schiff stains for sialates, including both Periodic Acid-Thionin Schiff/Potassium hydroxide/Periodic Acid-Schiff stain (PAT/KOH/PAS) and Mild Oxydation-Thionin Schiff/Periodic acid Borohydride/Potassium hydroxide/Periodic Acid-Schiff stain (MOT/PBT/KOH/PAS), (2) Immuno-histochemical stains with biotinylated lectins, including Dolichos Biflorus Aggulutinin (DBA), Griffonia Simplicifolia I (GS-I), Ulex Europaeus Agglutinin (UEA-I), Peanut Aggulutinin (PNA), Concanavalin A (Con A), Ricinus Communis Agglutinin I (RCA 120), Soybean Aggulutinin (SBA), and wheat germ aggulutinin (WGA). In the modified Schiff stains, tumor cells contained o-acetylated sialates or frequently lost the ability to produce sialates, while the normal endocervical cells produced predominantly non-acetylated sialates. Abrupt transition was also confirmed by these stainings. Based on the lectin study, the frequency of the positive reaction to PNA and Con A was statistically high in EA (p<0.005). The nuclear stratification index (NSI) was calculated positive in the cancerous glands for histochemical reactions, and the NSI of EA's was higher than that of normal cervices (P