Avidin-biotin-peroxidase labelling technique was used to localize the binding sites of peanut agglutinin (PNA), Ulexeuropaeus (UEA-I), wheat germ agglutinin (WGA), concanavalin A (Con A), and Ricinuscommunis (RCA-I) in 30 samples of endometrium at different stages of the menstrual cycle and in early pregnancy. PNA and UEA-I exhibit weak binding to the apical portions of epithelial cells in proliferative and secretory phases, but become strongly positive in pregnancy. WGA and RCA-I show weak binding to glandular epithelium in the proliferative phase, but increase their affinity in the secretory phase. Con A demonstrates strong affinity to decidual cells

Avidin-biotin-peroxidase labeling technic was used to localize the binding sites of Concanavalin agglutinin (Con A), Ricinus communis (RCA-I), Ulex europaeus (UEA-I), and Limus flafus (LFA) in the cervical epithelia afflicted with condyloma (2 cases), moderate dysplasia (6), severe dysplasia (3), carcinoma in situ (9), squamous cell carcinoma (18), adenosquamous carcinoma (2), adenocarcinoma (1), and glassy cell carcinoma (1). Normal squamous epithelium displayed binding sites predominantly located on the cellular membranes for all the tested lectins except UEA. Normal glandular epithelium showed cytoplasmic localization of the lectins. Neoplastic transformation of squamous epithelium was associated with an increased intensity of the reaction and the appearance of the binding sites in the cytoplasm. UEA binding has changed from negative in normal epithelium to moderately positive in dysplasia and strongly positive in carcinoma. Invasive squamous carcinomas demonstrated an extremely variable pattern of lectin binding, some with very high intensity, allowing easy recognition of malignant cells even in minute metastatic foci.

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Binding of wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) and peanut agglutinin (PNA) was studied cytochemically in 43 cervical specimens covering a range of lesions from moderate atypia to invasive carcinoma. Normal squamous epithelium showed weak binding of WGA and negative reaction with PNA. Atypical squamous epithelium was characterized by moderate binding of WGA and PNA, while malignant lesions demonstrated strong affinity to both lectins. In adenocarcinoma in situ, WGA and PNA binding was reduced by comparison with normal glandular epithelium, that was strongly positive.

Sixty-one cases of invasive cervical carcinoma and 40 cases of dysplasia and carcinoma in situ were studied by peroxidase-antiperoxidase method (PAP) for the presence of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA). Forty-two cases (13 carcinomas in situ and 29 invasive carcinomas) also were tested for alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and human chorionic gonadotropin hCG. CEA was not detected in normal cervical epithelium but was present in 90% of the neoplastic lesions. Not mere presence, but a pattern of CEA tissue distribution emerged as the main differential point between noninvasive and invasive lesions. Twenty-nine of 51 invasive squamous carcinomas (57%) contained CEA-positive cells at the stromal edge of epithelium, while this feature was not found in dysplasia and carcinoma in situ. Adenocarcinomas and adenosquamous carcinomas all were positive for CEA, while clear-cell carcinomas were negative. AFP was present only in a case of poorly differentiated adenosquamous ("glassy cell") carcinoma. hCG has not been revealed in any of the tumors.