title: Binding of recombinant mistletoe lectin (aviscumine) to resected human adenocarcinoma of the lung.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Lectins, carbohydrate proteins, bind to glycoconjugates of all mammalian cells, including cancer cells. Aberrant glycosylation, detected by lectin histochemistry, can predict outcome in some tumour entities. One such lectin is aviscumine (recombinant mistletoe lectin). Aviscumine has cytotoxic effects and can therefore be used as anti-tumour therapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Lectin histochemistry with aviscumine was performed on primary tumour sections from resected adenocarcinoma of the lung. Staining results were then correlated with the clinical course of the patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Most of the adenocarcinomas (92.5%) bound aviscumine. Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed no correlation between aviscumine binding and progression-free survival or overall survival.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that for the selected group of patients with adenocarcinoma of the lung aviscumine binding activity can not serve as a prognostic factor. More strikingly, however, aviscumine binds to malignant cells in 92.5% of the patients. This is an indicator for the use of aviscumine as a possible target for tumour therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy II: Experimental Morphology, University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany. k.blonski@uke.uni-hamburg.de
authors.forename: Katharina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Blonski
authors.forename: Udo
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Schumacher
authors.forename: Iris
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Burkholder
authors.forename: Lutz
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Edler
authors.forename: Haleh
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nikbakht
authors.forename: Ina
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Boeters
authors.forename: Anja
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Peters
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kugler
authors.forename: Hans-Peter
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Horny
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Langer
authors.forename: Karin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wilhelm-Ogunbiyi
authors.forename: Klaus
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Witthohn
authors.forename: Eckart
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Laack
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006031:Glycosylation; D006651:Histocytochemistry; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D028321:Plant Preparations / Q000378:metabolism*; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D054790:Ribosome Inactivating Proteins, Type 2; D014118:Toxins, Biological / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D028321:Plant Preparations; D010940:Plant Proteins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D054790:Ribosome Inactivating Proteins, Type 2; D014118:Toxins, Biological; C009674:ribosome inactivating protein, Viscum