Aberrant expression of carbohydrate antigens in squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue

Abstract

An immunohistochemical study was performed to observe the aberrant expression of blood-related group antigens in squamous cell carcinomas of the tongue from 10 patients and 13 normal tongue tissues using seven monoclonal antibodies, A, B, H, X001, H001, Lea and Leb, and four lectins, PNA, VVA-B4, UEA-1 and LTA. In SCC, Leb antigens were expressed in all cases examined (10 cases). T and Tn antigens which were examined with PNA and VVA-B4 stains, were expressed in seven out of 10 and six out of 10 cases, respectively, while these two antigens were not found in normal tissues. A, B and H antigens were expressed in most normal tongue epithelial cells, strictly dependent on the patient blood type. But in SCC, A and B antigens were not detected in five out of seven cancer cells from blood group A, B and AB individuals, whereas H antigen was expressed in 5 out of 7 cancer cells from blood group A, B and AB individuals. These results suggest that the expression of blood group-related antigens in suppressed to that of more immature carbohydrate chains in the setting of tongue cancer.