Abstract
The authors measured disaccharidase (maltase, sucrase and lactase) activity of gastric cancer (focus), intestinal metaplasia surrounding focus and intestinal metaplasia, 1.5cm-2.0cm distant from the focus by gaschromatography, and immunohistochemically studied by a-f etoprotein (AFP) labeled with FITC. 1) No difference of disaccharidase activities were shown in any part of early cancer and advanced cancer. 2) Disaccharidase activities were higher in well differentiated cancer than poorly dif-ferentiated cancer. 3) As the distance from the focus was bigger, disaccharidase activities became higher, and those of intestinal metaplasia in the stomach without gastric cancer showed the highest values. 4) Immunohistochaemical localization of AFP in gastric cancer was recognized in 10 of 20 cases. (50%) 5) According to each type, AFP was often recognized in papillary adeno-carcinoma (50%) and signet ring cell carcinoma (80%). But it was a few in poorly differentiated adeno-carcinoma (25%) and well differentiated adeno-carcinoma (33.3 %). 6) In gastric cancer, localization of AFP was recognized at cytoplasm, cell membrane and basal membrane. 7) In intestinal metaplasia surrounding gastric cancer with AFP, localization of AFP was recognized in 4 of 10 cases (40%). But in that without AFP, it was not recognized.
