[Immunohistochemical expression of sialyl-Lewis antigens in lung cancer]

We investigated the immunohistochemical expression of three carbohydrate antigens, sialyl-Lewisa, sialyl-Lewisx and sialyl-Lewisx-i, in human lung cancer tissues using monoclonal antibodies, 2D3, SNH3 and FH6, respectively, and compared the expression rate of these three antigens with clinical and pathologic findings. The expression rate of all the three antigens in adenocarcinoma was higher than that in squamous cell carcinoma and that of sialyl-Lewisx was highest in adenocarcinoma. Sialyl-Lewisx antigen was expressed in all cases of positive nodal metastasis or postoperative distant metastasis in adenocarcinoma. In squamous cell carcinoma, however, there was no relationship between the expression rate of sialyl-Lewisx antigen and nodal or distant metastasis. These results suggest that expression of sialyl-Lewisx antigen in adenocarcinoma of the lung may be correlated with nodal or distant metastasis.