title: Galactosylgloboside expression in seminoma. Inverse correlation with metastatic potential.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Altered glycosylation is a common phenotype expressed in essentially all types of human cancer and has been found to be correlated closely with the invasive and metastatic properties of a given tumor. Because there was no prognostic information concerning aberrant glycosylation of seminoma, the authors studied this topic.
  
  
  METHODS
  Glycosphingolipid (GSL) composition of orchiectomy samples of seminoma were analyzed systematically. GSL patterns from seminoma samples of the following three groups were compared after a 44-month postoperative period: Stage I disease with no evidence of metastasis during the 44-month postoperative period, Stage I with metastatic relapse during this period, and Stage II with retroperitoneal lymph node metastasis. Unknown GSLs detected were analyzed chemically by 1H-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and mass spectrometry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All nonmetastatic seminomas (n = 12) contained a GSL band that was identified as galactosylgloboside (Gb5; Gal beta 1-->3GalNAc beta 1-->3Gal alpha 1-->4 Gal beta 1-->4Glc beta 1-->1Cer). All metastatic seminomas (n = 5) lacked this GSL, although the sample sizes were admittedly small.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Only the presence or absence of galactosylgloboside (Gb5), but of no other GSL or gangliosides, clearly correlated with metastatic potential in patients with seminoma. This observation is useful in the estimation of prognosis of patients with seminoma, especially those with Stage I disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Tohoku University, School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ohyama
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Orikasa
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kawamura
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Satoh
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Saito
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fukushi
authors.forename: S B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Levery
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hakomori
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000737:chemistry; D015295:Antigens, Tumor-Associated, Carbohydrate; D002240:Carbohydrate Sequence; D006028:Glycosphingolipids / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008297:Male; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009919:Orchiectomy; D011379:Prognosis; D018239:Seminoma / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000175:diagnosis; D055746:Stage-Specific Embryonic Antigens; D013736:Testicular Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000175:diagnosis
chemical_list: D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D015295:Antigens, Tumor-Associated, Carbohydrate; D006028:Glycosphingolipids; D055746:Stage-Specific Embryonic Antigens; C052924:stage-specific embryonic antigen-3