Lectin histochemistry of normal bronchopulmonary tissues and common forms of bronchogenic carcinoma.

Normal bronchopulmonary tissues, areas of basal cell hyperplasia and of squamous metaplasia, and 26 pulmonary carcinomas, including the three major types (squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, and oat cell carcinoma), were studied with 12 biotinylated plant lectins. The study demonstrated a rather characteristic lectin-binding profile for most normal epithelial cell types, while pulmonary tumors showed a variation in the lectin reactivity when compared with the whole spectrum of normal cells, with binding of some lectins that were not reactive with normal tissues and a loss of reactivity with others that bound to normal tissues. Adenocarcinomas showed the highest density of reacting sites, while undifferentiated carcinomas were the less-reacting variant. Areas of metaplasia and hyperplasia showed some variation in the lectin-binding profile with normal tissues, but as a whole, there was a much smaller number of reacting sites than tumors.