Chemiluminescence-based detection of gastrointestinal malignancies.

Chemiluminescence is an established method for the in vitro serum monitoring of human tumors. Chemiluminescence may have additional utility for the in vivo detection of tumors. During carcinogenesis, tumors change their phenotype and the proteins they express. Specifically, in carcinogenesis of the esophagus and stomach, enzymes that are normally only expressed in the small intestine brush border become ectopically expressed in precancerous and cancerous lesions. Intestinal alkaline phosphatase and lactase are among the small intestine brush border enzymes that are ectopically expressed. We have found that specific chemiluminescent substrates for alkaline phosphatase and lactase may be used for the in situ detection of intestinal alkaline phosphatase and lactase in unprocessed tissue. In this study, we demonstrate that chemiluminescent 1,2-dioxetane substrates may be used for the detection of precancerous and cancerous lesions from the esophagus and stomach.