title: Tissue expression of Sialyl Tn antigen in gynecologic tumors.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate tissue expression of Sialyl Tn antigen (STN) in gynecologic tumors, and to compare with its appearance in blood circulation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Surgical specimens were obtained from 24 patients with malignant gynecologic diseases, including 7 ovarian cancers, 13 cervical cancers, 3 endometrial cancers, and 1 vulval cancer. Control tissues were also obtained at surgery from 28 patients with benign tumors of the ovary or uterus.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Anti-STN monoclonal antibody (TKH-2) positively identified 6 (86%) of 7 ovarian cancers, 11 (85%) of 13 cervical squamous-cell carcinomas, but none of 3 endometrial cancers. None of the 28 benign tissues, including 11 ovarian benign tumors, showed positive immunostaining for STN, except 1 with an ovarian chocolate cyst which showed weak staining for STN. No expression was found in normal squamous epithelium distant from the lesion. Serum STN antigen was positive in 4 of 7 ovarian cancers (cutoff = 39 U/ml), but only in 2 of 13 cervical cancers, and none in the 3 endometrial cancers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings indicate different behaviors in the appearance of STN in tumor tissue and blood circulation, and also suggest the possible applicability of STN to immunohistochemical diagnosis of squamous-cell carcinomas.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Yamaguchi University School of Medicine, Ube, Japan.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Numa
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tsunaga
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Michioka
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nawata
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ogata
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kato
mesh_terms: D015295:Antigens, Tumor-Associated, Carbohydrate / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005833:Genital Neoplasms, Female / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D015295:Antigens, Tumor-Associated, Carbohydrate; C040286:Tn antigen