[Diagnostic value of mucin-histochemical reaction in biopsy specimens of the large bowel]

The present study was carried out to determine the value of mucin-histochemical reactions in normal and pathologically altered colorectal mucosa. Normal large bowel mucosa shows a regionally different pattern of mucin composition of the goblet cell. In adenomas, remarkable variations of mucin pattern can be observed. Well-differentiated adenocarcinomas contain only sparse amounts of sialomucin or neutral mucins but no sulfomucins. In inflamed large bowel mucosa, the content of sulfomucins decreases in dependence on the degree of inflammation. The changes of mucin composition in the goblet cells are of unspecific reactive nature because they can be observed in the same manner in neoplastic and inflamed mucosa. With the employed mucin-histochemical methods no essential informations can be obtained in addition to pathohistological diagnosis.