Mucin profiles in the mucosa adjacent to large bowel non-adenocarcinoma neoplasias.

Morphological features and mucin secretion patterns were investigated in the colonic mucosa adjacent to or overlying mesenchymal or primary epithelial neoplasias, other than adenomas and adenocarcinomas. The material included 15 cases of non-adenocarcinoma tumours examined during 1978-1981. Increased sialomucins and morphological features similar to those described in the so-called 'transitional' mucosa adjacent to primary colorectal adenocarcinomas were observed in only two cases. In contrast our previous studies have demonstrated 'transitional' profiles in 98% of adenocarcinomas.