Intestinal M3 antigen, A marker for the intestinal-type differentiation of gastric carcinomas

✍ Scribed by J. Bara; L. Hamelin; E. Martin; P. Burtin

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1981
• Tongue: French
• Weight: 959 KB
• Volume: 28
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0020-7136
• DOI: 10.1002/ijc.2910280609

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

The mucus‐associated intestinal M3 antigen, normally restricted to intestinal goblet cells, was found in 35 out of 100 gastric adenocarcinomas belonging to intestinal (19/64) as well as diffuse (16/36) types according to Laurén's classification, often accompanying the other mucus‐associated gastric Ml and M2 antigens. This M3 antigen was predominant over the gastric M antigens in 25 of these 35 tumors; 18 of these belonged to the histological intestinal type. According to the WHO classification, the M3 antigen was found to predominate in all mucinous adenocarcinomas (7/7), was never present in the undifferentiated carcinomas (0/8), but was also found in some tubulo‐papillar (16/57) and signet‐ring cell (12/27) adenocarcinomas. This antigen could be used as a new criterion and incorporated into a point system containing morphological and tumor cell behavioral considerations; then it would appear to be a good marker for intestinal‐type differentiation. Indeed, 22 of these 25 gastric adenocarcinomas which produced predominantly M3 antigen showed such an intestinal‐like differentiation. The M antigenic pattern of gastric carcinoma suggested a duodenal rather than colonic‐type differentiation.