Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Journal of Clinical Pathology logoLink to Journal of Clinical Pathology
. 1972 Feb;25(2):123–128. doi: 10.1136/jcp.25.2.123

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

M Isabel Filipe 1
PMCID: PMC477240  PMID: 5017440

Abstract

One hundred and twenty-one rectal biopsies from 99 patients with carcinoma of the rectum or lower sigmoid colon were investigated using a high iron-diamine-Alcian blue technique for sulphated and non-sulphated acid mucins. It was found that in normal rectal mucosa sulphomucins are the main carbohydrate component of the goblet cell mucin. This normal `mucous pattern' changes in the `transitional' mucosa (histological normal mucosa adjacent to carcinoma) where there is an increase of non-sulphated acid mucins concomitantly with a decrease or absence of sulphated groups in 60 to 90% of the cases according to the type of tumour. The same type of changes in mucus were observed in the `transitional' mucosa surrounding adenomatous polyps and papillary adenomas; they were not marked in areas around carcinoma in situ and not observed in the metaplastic polyps. These changes seem to be in direct relationship to the grade of differentiation and invasiveness of the tumour.

The histochemical changes in the mucins seem to be in favour of a malignant potential in the so-called neoplastic polyps.

The high iron diamine-Alcian blue, because of its `specificity', consistent results, and easy technique is recommended for routine use together with haematoxylin and eosin staining in the diagnosis of premalignant changes.

Full text

PDF
123

Images in this article

124Image
on p.124
125Image
on p.125
125Image
on p.125

Selected References

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

  1. ACKERMAN L. V. MALIGNANT POTENTIAL OF POLYPOID LESIONS OF THE LARGE INTESTINE. Trans Stud Coll Physicians Phila. 1964 Jul;32:5–14. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bussey H. J., Wallace M. H., Morson B. C. Metachronous carcinoma of the large intestine and intestinal polyps. Proc R Soc Med. 1967 Mar;60(3):208–210. doi: 10.1177/003591576706000302. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. COLE J. W., MCKALEN A. STUDIES ON THE MORPHOGENESIS OF ADENOMATOUS POLYPS IN THE HUMAN COLON. Cancer. 1963 Aug;16:998–1002. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(196308)16:8<998::aid-cncr2820160806>3.0.co;2-c. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Czernobilsky B., Tsou K. C. Adenocarcinoma, adenomas and polyps of the colon. Histochemical study. Cancer. 1968 Feb;21(2):165–177. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(196802)21:2<165::aid-cncr2820210202>3.0.co;2-e. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. ENTERLINE H. T., EVANS G. W., MERCUDO-LUGO R., MILLER L., FITTS W. T., Jr Malignant potential of adenomas of colon and rectum. JAMA. 1962 Feb 3;179:322–330. doi: 10.1001/jama.1962.03050050012003. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Enterline H. T., Arvan D. A. Chromosome constitution of adenoma and adenocarcinoma of the colon. Cancer. 1967 Oct;20(10):1746–1759. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(196710)20:10<1746::aid-cncr2820201025>3.0.co;2-#. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Esterly J. R., Spicer S. S. Mucin histochemistry of human gallbladder: changes in adenocarcinoma, cystic fibrosis, and cholecystitis. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1968 Jan;40(1):1–12. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Filipe M. I. 35 sulphur uptake in the mucosa adjacent to carcinoma of the large intestine. Histochem J. 1971 Jan;3(1):27–35. doi: 10.1007/BF01686504. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Filipe M. I., Dawson I. The diagnostic value of mucosubstances in rectal biopsies from patients with ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. Gut. 1970 Mar;11(3):229–234. doi: 10.1136/gut.11.3.229. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. 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]
  11. GRINNELL R. S., LANE N. Benign and malignant adenomatous polyps and papillary adenomas of the colon and rectum; an analysis of 1,856 tumors in 1,335 patients. Int Abstr Surg. 1958 Jun;106(6):519–538. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Johansen P. G., Kay R. Histochemistry of rectal mucus in cystic fibrosis of the pancreas. J Pathol. 1969 Dec;99(4):299–306. doi: 10.1002/path.1710990405. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Lev R. The mucin histochemistry of normal and neoplastic gastric mucosa. Lab Invest. 1965 Dec;14(12):2080–2100. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Lipkin M. Newer measurements of cell proliferation in the colon. Gastroenterology. 1966 Nov;51(5):851–854. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. MORSON B. C. Precancerous lesions of the colon and rectum. Classification and controversial issues. JAMA. 1962 Feb 3;179:316–321. doi: 10.1001/jama.1962.03050050006002. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Morson B. C. Precancerous and early malignant lesions of the large intestine. Br J Surg. 1968 Oct;55(10):725–731. doi: 10.1002/bjs.1800551003. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Nairn R. C., Fothergill J. E., McEntegart M. G., Richmond H. G. Loss of Gastro-intestinal-specific Antigen in Neoplasia. Br Med J. 1962 Jun 30;1(5295):1791–1793. doi: 10.1136/bmj.1.5295.1791. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. RIDER J. A., KIRSNER J. B., MOELLER H. C., PALMER W. L. Polyps of the colon and rectum; their incidence and relationship to carcinoma. Am J Med. 1954 Apr;16(4):555–564. doi: 10.1016/0002-9343(54)90372-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. SPICER S. S. DIAMINE METHODS FOR DIFFERENTIALING MUCOSUBSTANCES HISTOCHEMICALLY. J Histochem Cytochem. 1965 Mar;13:211–234. doi: 10.1177/13.3.211. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. WATTENBERG L. W. A histochemical study of succinic dehydrogenase and cytochrome oxidase in proliferative lesions of the large intestine. Cancer Res. 1959 Nov;19:1118–1123. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

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

RESOURCES