Summary
The presence of carcinoplacental alkaline phosphatase (CP Alk P) was demonstrated in the cells of malignant and premalignant states of the human stomach, colon and rectum using the immunoperoxidase technique.
It was shown to be present in 7 out of 18 carcinomas of stomach and 7 of 17 cases of carcinoma of colon and rectum. In the putative premalignant states it was demonstrated in 4 of 15 cases of intestinal metaplasia associated with gastric carcinoma, and 9 of 12 tubulovillous adenomas of colon. However, it was also demonstrated in 5 of 8 metaplastic polyps of colon which are not neoplastic and in 9 of 17 cases of intestinal metaplasia not associated with cancer of the stomach. It was not seen in normal gastric mucosa and only faintly in 1 of 11 samples of normal colon.
CP Alk P has been shown to be a specific marker of malignancy in a wide range of human cancers when studied in sera from patients or in tissue culture of tumour cells. In this study however, although a statistical difference exists between normal and diseased tissue the marker appears as frequently in non-neoplastic states. It is concluded that CP Alk P is, in tissues, a marker of proliferative activity in cells, rather than neoplastic or malignant change.
In this respect it is similar in some respects to carcinoembryonic antigen, but not other markers of placental origin such as pregnancy specific β, glycoprotein.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Burns J (1975) Background staining and sensitivity of the unlabelled antibody enzyme (PAP) method. Comparison with the peroxidase labelled antibody sandwich method using formalin fixed, paraffin embedded material. Histochemistry 43:291–294
Correa P, Cuello C, Duque E (1970) Carcinoma and Intestinal Metaplasia of the stomach in Columbian migrants. J Natl Cancer Inst 44:297–306
Fishman WH, Inglis NR, Stolbach LL, Kraut MJ (1968) A serum alkaline phosphatase isoenzyme of human neoplastic cell origin. Cancer Res 28:150–154
Haije WG, Meerwaldt JH, Talerman A, Kuipers T, Baggerman L, Teeuw AH, van der Pompe WB, van Driel J (1979) The value of a sensitive assay of carcinoplacental alkaline phosphatase (CPAP) in the follow up of gynaecological cancers. Int J Cancer 24:288–293
Heyderman E (1979) Immunoperoxidase technique in histopathology: applications, methods and controls. J Clin Pathol 32:971–978
International histological classification of tumour. (1976) In: Morson BC and Sobin L (eds) 15. Intestinal tumours. WHO Geneva
Kojuma J, Kanatani M, Yamamoto T, Tateishi R, Nakamura N (1979) Carcinoembryonic proteins in gastric carcinoma metastatic to the liver. Gastroenterol Jpn 14:596–603
Laurén P (1965) The two histological main types of gastric carcinoma: Diffuse and intestinal type carcinoma. Acta Pathol Microbiol Scand A, 64:31–49
Morson BC (1955) Intestinal metaplasia of the Gastric Mucosa. Br J Cancer 9:365–376
Morson BC, Sobin LH, Grundmann E, Johanssen A, Nagayo T, Serk-Hansen A (1980) Precancerous conditions and epithelial dysplasia in the stomach. J Clin Pathol 33:711–721
Nathanson L, Fishman WH (1971) New observations on the Regan isoenzyme of alkaline phosphatase in cancer patients. Cancer 27:1388–1397
Neuwald PP, Anderson C, Salwar WO, Aldenderfer PH, Oermody WC, Weintraub BO, Rosen SW, Nelson-Rees WA. Ruddon RW (1980) Expression of oncodevelopmental gene products by human tumour cells in culture. J Natl Cancer Inst 64:447–459
Shearman DJC, Finlayson NDC, Wilson R and Samson RR (1966) Carcinoma of the stomach and early pernicious anaemia. Lancet 2:403–405
Singh I, Tsang KY, Blakemore WS (1978) Placenta like alkaline phosphatases from human osteosarcoma cells. Cancer Res 38:193–196
Skinner JM, Whitehead R (1981) Tumour associated antigens in polyps and carcinoma of the human large bowel. Cancer 47:1241–1245
Stalsberg H, Taksdal S (1971) Stomach cancer following gastric surgery for benign conditions. Lancet 2:1157–1177
Tokomitsu S, Tokomitsu K, Kohnoe K, Takenchi T (1979) Characterisation of liver type alkaline phosphatase from human gastric carcinoma cells (KMK-2) in vitro. Cancer Res 39:4732–4739
Wada GH, Shindelman JE, Ortmeyer AE, Sussman HH (1979) Demonstration of placental alkaline phosphatase in human breast cancer. Int J Cancer 23:781–787
Wahren B, Holmgren PA, Stigbrand T (1979) Placental alkaline phosphatase, alphafetoprotein and Carcinoembryonic antigen in testicular tumour. Tissue typing by means of cytologic smears. Int J Cancer 24:749–753
Whitehead R (1979) Mucosal biopsy of the gastrointestinal tract In: Major problems in pathology, Volume 3. 2nd Edition. Saunders, Philadelphia
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Senior Lecturer in Pathology, Flinders University of South Australia. Senior Staff Specialist in Pathology, Flinders Medical Centre
Professor of Pathology, Flinders University of South Australia. Head of Department of Histopathology, Flinders Medical Centre
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Skinner, J.M., Whitehead, R. Carcinoplacental alkaline phosphatase in malignant and premalignant conditions of the human digestive tract. Virchows Archiv [Pathol Anat] 394, 109–118 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00431669
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00431669