Is the binding of the lectin Helix pomatia agglutinin (HPA) of prognostic relevance in tumours of the upper aerodigestive tract?

The lectin Helix pomatia agglutinin (HPA) has been used as a prognostic indicator in a number of clinical studies including those of breast, colorectal and gastric cancer. Binding of HPA to tissue sections was associated with a bad prognosis indicating that the carbohydrate residue recognized by this lectin is linked to metastasis. In order to investigate whether HPA binding is also of prognostic relevance in squamous cell carcinomas of the upper aerodigestive tract, 53 tumours of this region were stained with HPA. Almost all tumours (95%) bound HPA to various degrees and hence HPA binding is of no prognostic relevance in this group of tumours. These findings indicate a fundamental difference in the role of carbohydrate residues in metastasis between squamous cell carcinoma (as in our study) and in tumours derived from glandular tissues such as breast, colon and stomach.