Binding of recombinant mistletoe lectin (aviscumine) to resected human adenocarcinoma of the lung.
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.
Blonski
Katharina
K
Department of Anatomy II: Experimental Morphology, University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany. k.blonski@uke.uni-hamburg.de
Schumacher
Udo
U
Burkholder
Iris
I
Edler
Lutz
L
Nikbakht
Haleh
H
Boeters
Ina
I
Peters
Anja
A
Kugler
Christian
C
Horny
Hans-Peter
HP
Langer
Martin
M
Wilhelm-Ogunbiyi
Karin
K
Witthohn
Klaus
K
Laack
Eckart
E
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*
D028321:Plant Preparations; D010940:Plant Proteins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D054790:Ribosome Inactivating Proteins, Type 2; D014118:Toxins, Biological; C009674:ribosome inactivating protein, Viscum