Skip to main content
Journal of Clinical Pathology logoLink to Journal of Clinical Pathology
. 1977 Nov;30(11):1056–1062. doi: 10.1136/jcp.30.11.1056

A new histochemical technique of use in the interpretation and diagnosis of adenocarcinoma and villous lesions in the large intestine.

C F Culling, P E Reid, A J Worth, W L Dunn
PMCID: PMC476649  PMID: 73551

Abstract

The periodic acid-thionin Schiff/potassium hydroxide/periodic acid-Schiff (PAT/KOH/PAS) procedure has been used to investigate the histochemical staining characteristics of the mucins found in adenocarcinoma and villous lesions of the large intestine. The 46 blocks examined represented 58 lesions from 37 patients, all of whom had had resections for carcinoma of the colon. tin sharp contrast to normal colon, none of the adenocarcinomas stained red with the PAT/KOH/PAS. With two exceptions the poorly and moderately differentiated adenocarcinomas stained blue, whereas of the well differentiated lesions half were blue and half purple. The malignant villous lesions demonstrated the same trends, although a larger percentage were purple. None of the benign lesions stained blue. It is suggested that malignancy in the colon is accompanied by an increase in blue staining in the PAT/KOH/PAS technique and that such staining may be of value in the interpretation of highly atypical adenoma where it might identify the onset of malignancy. This change in staining indicates a distinct alteration in the chemistry of the mucins which we interpret as a reduction in the degree of side chain O-acylation of their constituent sialic acids.

Full text

PDF
1056

Images in this article

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Culling C. F., Reid P. E., Burton J. D., Dunn W. L. A histochemical method of differentiating lower gastrointestinal tract mucin from other mucins in primary or metastatic tumours. J Clin Pathol. 1975 Aug;28(8):656–658. doi: 10.1136/jcp.28.8.656. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Culling C. F., Reid P. E., Clay M. G., Dunn W. L. The histochemical demonstration of O-acylated sialic acid in gastrointestinal mucins. Their association with the potassium hydroxide-periodic acid-schiff effect. J Histochem Cytochem. 1974 Aug;22(8):826–831. doi: 10.1177/22.8.826. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Culling C. F., Reid P. E., Dunn W. L. A new histochemical method for the identification and visualization of both side chain acylated and nonacylated sialic acids. J Histochem Cytochem. 1976 Dec;24(12):1225–1230. doi: 10.1177/24.12.187689. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Culling C. F., Reid P. E., Dunn W. L. A problem in the removal of sialic acid by acid hydrolysis. Stain Technol. 1974 Sep;49(5):317–318. doi: 10.3109/10520297409117003. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Culling C. F., Reid P. E., Dunn W. L. The effect of saponification upon certain histochemical reactions of the epithelial mucins of the gastrointestinal tract. J Histochem Cytochem. 1971 Nov;19(11):654–662. doi: 10.1177/19.11.654. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Dawson P. A., Filipe M. I. An ultrastructural and histochemical study of the mucous membrane adjacent to and remote from carcinoma of the colon. Cancer. 1976 May;37(5):2388–2398. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(197605)37:5<2388::aid-cncr2820370531>3.0.co;2-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Dawson P. A., Filipe M. I. An ultrastructural application of silver methenamine to the study of mucin changes in the colonic mucosa adjacent to and remote from carcinoma. Histochem J. 1976 Mar;8(2):143–158. doi: 10.1007/BF01007165. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Filipe M. I., Branfoot A. C. Abnormal patterns of mucus secretion in apparently normal mucosa of large intestine with carcinoma. Cancer. 1974 Aug;34(2):282–290. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(197408)34:2<282::aid-cncr2820340211>3.0.co;2-w. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Filipe M. I., Cooke K. B. Changes in composition of mucin in the mucosa adjacent to carcinoma of the colon as compared with the normal: a biochemical investigation. J Clin Pathol. 1974 Apr;27(4):315–318. doi: 10.1136/jcp.27.4.315. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Filipe M. I. The value of a study of the mucosubstances in rectal biopsies from patients with carcinoma of the rectum and lower sigmoid in the diagnosis of premalignant mucosa. J Clin Pathol. 1972 Feb;25(2):123–128. doi: 10.1136/jcp.25.2.123. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Filipe M. I. Value of histochemical reactions for mucosubstances in the diagnosis of certain pathological conditions of the colon and rectum. Gut. 1969 Jul;10(7):577–586. doi: 10.1136/gut.10.7.577. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Muto T., Bussey H. J., Morson B. C. The evolution of cancer of the colon and rectum. Cancer. 1975 Dec;36(6):2251–2270. doi: 10.1002/cncr.2820360944. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Reid P. E., Culling C. F., Dunn W. L., Clay M. G. The use of a transesterification technique to distinguish between certain neuraminidase resistant epithelial mucins. Histochemistry. 1976 Feb 26;46(3):203–207. doi: 10.1007/BF02462784. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Reid P. E., Culling C. F., Dunn W. L., Ramey C. W., Clay M. G. Differences in chemical composition between the epithelial glycoproteins of the upper and lower halves of rat colon. Can J Biochem. 1975 Dec;53(12):1328–1332. doi: 10.1139/o75-180. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Reid P. E., Culling C. F., Dunn W. L. Saponification-induced increase in the periodic acid-Schiff reaction in the gastrointestinal tract. Mechanism and distribution of the reactive substance. J Histochem Cytochem. 1973 May;21(5):473–482. doi: 10.1177/21.5.473. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Reid P. E., Culling C. F., Dunn W. L. The histochemical interpretation of the complex results of methylation upon gastrointestinal tract mucins, with special reference to the periodic acid-Schiff reactivity. J Histochem Cytochem. 1974 Oct;22(10):986–991. doi: 10.1177/22.10.986. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Reid P. E., Culling C. F., Tsang W. C., Clay M. G., Ramey C. W., Dunn W. L. The demonstration of O-acetylated sialic acids in colonic epithelial glycoproteins. Can J Biochem. 1975 Mar;53(3):388–391. doi: 10.1139/o75-053. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Clinical Pathology are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES