To reveal the cell-
biological character of
biliary tract cancer, localization and distribution of three
cancer-associated carbohydrate antigens (CA19-9, sialyl SSEA-1, NCC-ST-439) and
carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) were studied immunohistochemically in 35 cases of gallbladder
carcinoma, 21 of bile duct
carcinoma, 16 of chronic
cholecystitis, and 3 of normal gallbladder. 1) All
carbohydrate antigens and CEA were present in 70-90% of the cases of gallbladder and bile duct
carcinoma. In particular, NCC-ST-439 had the highest incidence of positive staining (95.2%) in bile duct
carcinoma. 2) The mode of localization was diverse and was not fixed by the kind of
antigen.
Antigens flowing out to the surrounding stroma were affected by the rate of positive cells. 3) No significant correlation was observed between the histological type or degree of differentiation and tissue positivity. 4) The positivity of tissue CEA was higher in the cases with serous membrane invasion, gamma INF pattern, and neuro-, vascular-, and lymphatic invasion. 5) In chronic
cholecystitis, CA19-9, NCC-ST-439, and CEA were stained in mucosal cells and/or metaplastic cells, while
sialyl SSEA-1 was stained only in one case in the goblet cells and the cells with pseudopyloric
metaplasia. None of the
antigens were stained in normal gallbladders. These results suggest that these
antigens may be useful in the diagnosis and therapeutic treatments in patients with
biliary tract cancer.