Immunohistochemical Studies on Laminin in Basement Membrane of Colo-rectal Cancer

Taiji Matsuda, Yoshitaka Akabane, Toshiyuki Adachi, Jinichi Hida, Kohei Mori, Masayuki Yasutomi

First Department of Surgery, Kinki University School of Medicine

In 192 patients with colorectal cancer and 17 with liver metastatic lesions, immunohistological study (ABC method) of laminin (LN) was made to clarify the relation of localization of LN and invasion or metastasis of the cancer. LN was commonly localized on epithelial basement membrane of normal colonic tissue in all cases, but unevently stained over the primary lesion of colorectal cancer. Therefore, the foci were divided into 3 layers: superficial, intermediate and deep layers. Positive cases were defined as those with positive LN staining in all or 2 of 3 layers. The positive staining was found in 83.3% of primary lesion with liver metastasis with significant difference from the rate of 19.0% in those without liver metastasis (p<0.01). The cases with liver metastasis were characterized by remarkable LN staining at the deepest part of invasive lesion, which frequently maintained glandular structure. LN staining was also found around the small nests invading stroma or veins. In liver metastatic lesions, LN was almost uniformly stained at the basal part of glandular structure in 94.1% of the cases. From the above results, cases with positive LN staining frequently develop liver metastasis, and LN is concomitant with cancer and unbelievable to be a barrier to intramural invasion.

Key words
immunohistology, laminin, colo-rectal cancer

Reprint requests
Taiji Matsuda First Department of Surgery, Kinki University School of Medicine
377-2 Ono-Higashi, Osaka-Sayama, 589 JAPAN

Accepted
December 22, 1990

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