[Rapid diagnosis of experimental tumor by FITC-Con A lectin--a comparative study of smear and section specimens]

FITC-Con A staining as a rapid diagnostic method for tumor cells was applied to the tumors smeared on glass slide and section specimens to evaluate the reactivity with FITC-Con A. Good staining results were obtained in smear specimens with clear fluorescence on the membrane of tumor cells. Con A and LCH lectins bound well with tumor cells to produce strong fluorescence in comparison with PEA and DBA. It indicates that tumor cells expressed dominantly the receptors of alpha-D-glucose and alpha-D-mannose sugar chain on the membrane of tumor cells. From these results it was concluded that FITC-Con A staining method applied to smear specimens is more advantageous in the rapidity and the simplicity for tumor cell diagnosis than section specimen method.