The sialomucin content of colonic resection margins.

In a prospective trial, the resection margins of 130 patients who underwent apparently curative resection for colorectal cancers were examined. Sialomucin was markedly increased in 17.0 percent of proximal resection margins and 17.3 percent in distal resection margins. Clinical follow-up has demonstrated four patients who have developed local recurrence of their disease. Three of these patients had increased sialomucin staining in the resection margins at the time of initial surgery. High iron diamine-alcian blue staining of resection margin may identify those patients at risk of developing local recurrence of colorectal cancer or metachronous tumor following apparently curative resection.