Mucin production in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and in stage 1b carcinoma of cervix with pelvic lymph node metastases.

Sections from cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN 3) and stage 1b carcinoma of the cervix were stained with periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) and alcian blue to identify the presence of intracellular mucin. One out of seven specimens of CIN 3 demonstrated intracellular mucin. In a series of 33 patients with stage 1b carcinoma of the cervix with pelvic lymph node metastases, PAS demonstrated intracellular mucin staining patterns that were similar in both tumour and lymph node in most patients. In the subgroup of 23 patients classified as having squamous carcinoma, 8 (35%) demonstrated intracellular mucin to some degree and only 2 (25%) of those 8 were alive after 3 years compared with 13 of the other 15 (87%) who did not show any mucin staining (P less than 0.01).