Mucin histochemistry of esophagus in health and malignancy.

Aims: To study mucin histochemistry of the normal esophagus, esophageal adenocarcinoma, and carcinoma exhibiting glandular and squamous elements, to ascertain the origin of these tumors.
Methods: Mucin histochemistry was studied in sections of the normal cardioesophageal junction obtained from 25 post-mortem specimens and in 12 mucin-secreting esophageal carcinomas.
Results: The normal submucosal esophageal glands and three adenocarcinomas secreted predominantly sulfomucins; a mixture of neutral and sialomucins was seen in the nine carcinomas with squamous and glandular traits. Barrett's metaplasia was not encountered.
Conclusions: In the absence of Barrett's metaplasia, esophageal adenocarcinoma probably arises from the submucosal glands, whereas squamous carcinomas with mucin-secreting component could arise from metaplastic change in squamous epithelium, cardiac glands, or multipotent stem cells in the epithelium.