Wheat germ agglutinin binding is a useful prognostic indicator in stomach cancer

Background. Recent studies suggest that lectin binding activity is correlated with the metastasis and prognosis of several human carcinomas. Wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) is a lectin that recognizes mainly N-acetyl-glucosamin (GalNAc) and acetyl-neuramic acid. However, little is known about WGA expression in gastric carcinoma. The purpose of this investigation was to clarify the significance of WGA expression in human gastric carcinoma.