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6th ESACP Congress, Heidelberg, April 7-11, 1999 |
A079
Albeit numerous parameters of diagnostic importance for lung cancer have been
suggested in the last years, the clinical significance is still limited to
the application of simple features such as the TNM stage of performance status.
The lung cancer burden of the patient's body is determined by the extent of
the malignant growth described by the TNM stage. In addition, a lung cancer
can be classified by the energy efficiency to create new structures and by
the available intercellular communication structures. The close association of
biological structure and function forms the basic theory of structural
entropy, a term which measures the derivation of a formed texture from a
biological ideal one, and that of current of structural entropy,
a term which describes the entropy to be exported via the inner and outer surface of
a solid cancer (2,3). The current of entropy has been reported to be closely
associated with the patient's survival in both primary and secondary operated
lung cancer (2). In addition, the extent of structural entropy and its
current is related with the expression of certain carbohydrate ligands, for
example the binding capacities for blood group A and H antigens. Additional
substances with significant contribution to intercellular information
exchange comprise ligands with oligosaccharide antennae and their
endogenous receptors, especially galactose-binding proteins (galectins).
The intra-tumorous distribution of presence and expression of binding
capacities can, again, be described by the approach of structural entropy
(2,3). Galectin-1 and galectin-3 have been reported to be involved in
processes of cell growth regulation, cell adhesion and migration (1). First
results show a remarkable prognostic significance of histochemically
detectable presence of galectin-3 in primary and secondary lung tumors.
The measurements of the structural entropy levels indicate the potential of
galectins and their ligands for tissue pattern formation and give insight
into the homogeneity and microenvironment of a malignant lung tumor in
respect to these substances. First results of primary lung cancer confirm
again the basic biological significance of the concept of structural
entropy and the current of structural entropy.
THE BIOLOGICAL IMPORTANCE OF STRUCTURAL THERMODYNAMICS AND LIGAND PROPERTIES
IN LUNG CANCER
Kayser K *, Baumhäkel JD *,Gabius HJ **
* Department of Pathology, Thoraxklinik, Heidelberg, ** Institute of
Physiological Chemistry, University of München, München, Germany
References:
1. HJ Gabius: Animal lectins. Eur J Biochem 243:543-576,1997
2. K. Kayser, HJ. Gabius: Graph theory and the entropy concept in
histochemistry. Progr Histochem Cytochem 32(2): 1-106,1997
3. K. Kayser, HJ. Gabius: How to apply thermodynamic principles to
histochemical and morphometric tissue research: principles and practical
outline with focus on glycosciences. Cell Tissue Res, 1999, in press