Expression of the tumor marker D-galactose-beta-[1-->3]-N-acetyl-D-galactosamine by premalignant and malignant prostate.

Abstract

Accurate and consistent discrimination of prostatic carcinomas from benign lesions and vice versa continues to be a vexing problem in diagnostic pathology. We have tested the usefulness of the tumor marker D-galactose-beta-[1-->3]-N-acetyl-D-galactosamine in differentiating the benign from the malignant and premalignant lesions of the prostate. A sequential galactose oxidase technique (overnight incubation), followed by Schiff's reaction (15 minutes), was done on deparaffinized tissue sections of 65 carcinomas, 25 hyperplasias, 11 foci of adenosis, and 10 normal specimens. While none of the 35 benign prostates and 11 foci of adenosis expressed D-galactose-beta-[1-->3]-N-acetyl-D-galactosamine (100% specificity), 62 (95.4% sensitivity) of 65 adenocarcinomas variably expressed the marker. We therefore propose that this simple technique may have potential use in routine histopathological analysis of prostatic specimens. This marker may also serve as the basis of assays for early detection of prostatic malignancies.