Carcinoembryonic antigen and lectin binding in the bile canalicular structures of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Bile canalicular structures of 32 hepatocellular carcinomas and 36 cirrhotic livers were investigated by light microscopy using immunohistochemistry for carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and lectin histochemistry. CEA positive bile canalicular structures were found in 17 out of 32(53%) hepatocellular carcinomas and in 33 of 36(92%) cirrhotic livers. Among the 10 lectins examined, about 40% of the CEA positive bile canalicular structures of hepatocellular carcinomas showed positive binding of MPA, DBA, WGA, RCA-I or UEA-I, whereas only MPA or RCA-I bound to the CEA positive bile canalicular structures of cirrhotic liver, in about 20% of cases. It has been shown that the CEA positive bile canalicular structures of hepatocellular carcinomas are heterogeneous and differ from those of cirrhotic liver in lectin histochemistry.