Carcinoma associated mucins: molecular biology and clinical applications.

Mucin is a viscous secretion of glycoproteins secreted by epithelial cells of normal and cancerous tissues. Excessive and abnormal mucin synthesis has been observed in a number of cancers. The conformation and configuration of the surface carbohydrates play a key role in generating multiple forms of mucins in different cancers. The epitopes on the surface of mucin are recognized by antibodies present in different cancer cells. The primary structure of some of the cancer-associated mucins has been determined by molecular cloning of their complementary DNAs. The detection methods for cancer-associated mucins and their clinical applications are discussed.