The significance of enzyme histochemical patterns in carcinomas of the large intestine in man

Abstract

SUMMARY The activities of 13 enzymes in 40 carcinomas of the large bowel have been studied using histochemical techniques. Five enzymes-non-specific esterase, monoamine oxidase, succinate dehydrogenase, cytochrome oxidase, and acid phosphatase-commonly show much less activity in the tumours than in adjacent normal colon. The tumours have been classified based upon the number of enzymes which show marked reduction in activity in each tumour (types 1-5). The enzyme histochemical type and the size of the tumours have been jointly correlated with the presence of lymph node metastasis. Small type 1 or 2 tumours do not appear to be associated with metastatic disease. Small type 5 tumours were commonly associated with secondary carcinoma in the lymph nodes. Large tumours (greater than 25 sq cm surface area) of any histochemical type were frequently associated with lymph node metastasis. Discussion of the possible reasons for these findings and their clinical significance is presented.Previous histochemical studies of the enzymes in proliferative conditions of the large intestine have been primarily concerned with detecting possible differences between benign and malignant neoplasms (Wattenberg, 1959a and b;Nachlas and Hannibal, 1961;Czernobilsky and Tsou, 1968). Although information on the enzyme histochemistry of rectal and colonic carcinomas is available from such studies, the extent to which the enzyme histochemical patterns vary between tumours and the clinical significance of such variability has not been studied.The purpose of the present work was to examine in detail the frequency and possible clinical significance of the enzyme histochemical differences between individual carcinomas of the large bowel. Materials and MethodsTissue from 40 patients with carcinoma of the large intestine was studied.Within 10 minutes of resection, the intestine was opened and irrigated with saline and pinned out. A perspex viewer was placed over the tumour and adjusted so that the undersurface of the viewer touched the tumour surface without compressing it. The outline of the tumour was drawn on the perspex. This outline was transferred to tracing paper and subsequently to 1 millimetre Received for publication 14 March 1973. squared graph paper. The areas within the outline were measured by planimetry. Small tumour areas were checked by counting squares on the graph paper within the outline. Blocks of tumour and adjacent mucosa were snap frozen in liquid hexane at -70C using solid CO2 and absolute alcohol mixture as coolant. Serial frozen sections were cut at 10 m,u. Two sections, one test and one control, were mounted directly onto each slide. The sections to be used for the study of the hydrolytic enzymes were postfixed in acetone at 4°C for one hour. The remainder were allowed to dry at room temperature for five minutes. Thirteen enzymes were studied in each of the 40 tumours. The sections were incubated in the appropriate media using the open perspex ring technique (Chayen, Bitensky, Butcher, and Poulter, 1969).The histochem...

Anti-inflammatory Drug (Indomethacin) and its Effect on Liver Tumor Induced by DMBA

“…Also, the present results revealed an increase in the level of LDH enzyme in toads treated with the chemical carcinogen (DMBA), while its activity was decreased in significantly after treatment with indomethacin. Also, it has been shown that the activity of LDH was increased in men colon cancer (McGinty et al, 1973). However, the decrease in LDH enzyme was observed after the effect of antitumor drug (5-Flurouracil) in colon adenocarcinoma (Ismail et al, 1978).…”

Zur funktionellen Morphologie der Dickdarm‐Mukosa von Rind (Bos primigenius f. taurus), Schaf (Ovis ammon f. aries) und Ziege (Capra aegagrus f. hircus)*

“…(1973) hier eine negative Reaktion fest. Ein negativer Befund wird zunächst auch beim Menschen erhoben (Dawson und Pryse‐Davies, 1963; Filipe, 1971; McGinty et al., 1973). In jüngerer Zeit demonstrieren jedoch Bell und Williams (1979) histochemisch und Benjawatanapon et al.…”

Zur funktionellen Morphologie der Dickdarm-Mukosa von Rind (Bos primigenius f. taurus), Schaf (Ovis ammon f. aries) und Ziege (Capra aegagrus f. hircus)*

“…WaÈ hrend Helander (1975) eine sehr geringe AktivitaÈ t der alkalischen Phosphatase in den Dickdarmepithelien der Ratte beobachtet, stellen Masnerova et al (1966) sowie HoÈ hn et al (1973 hier eine negative Reaktion fest. Ein negativer Befund wird zunaÈ chst auch beim Menschen erhoben (Dawson und Pryse-Davies, 1963;Filipe, 1971;McGinty et al, 1973). In juÈ ngerer Zeit demonstrieren jedoch Bell und Williams (1979) histochemisch und Benjawatanapon et al (1982) feinstrukturell AktivitaÈ ten einer von Williams (1977) biochemisch nachgewiesenen, hitzelabilen alkalischen Phosphatase im menschlichen Dickdarmepithel.…”