Lectinhistochemistry of mixed gliomas demonstrating an intermediate cell type.

18 cases of low-graded mixed gliomas were studied using the two lectins Concanavalin A (Con A) and Peanut lectin (PNA). Con A stained cytoplasm and processes of tumoral astrocytes, whereas PNA stained cell membranes of tumoral oligodendrocytes. Con A and PNA are reliable markers for astrocyte and oligodendrocyte areas of mixed gliomas, respectively. A part of cells were overlappingly positive for both lectins. They expressed an oligosaccharide pattern of both glioma types and represented a third, intermediate cell type of mixed gliomas. The existence of intermediate cells close to astrocytic and oligodendroglial cell types in mixed gliomas could result from transformation processes of neoplastic glial cells or from the malignant transformation of a common glial precursor cell.