A simple histochemical assay to detect cancer cells

Abstract

Oxygen insensitivity of cancer cells and oxygen sensitivity of non-cancer cells in the histochemical assay of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) activity enables detection of cancer cells in unfixed cell smears or cryostat sections of biopsies. The assay is based on reduction of the tetrazolium salt neotetrazolium. It is a cheap assay that is easy to perform. It takes only 30 min at the most. The test discriminates between adenomas and carcinomas of colon and rectum with a certainty higher than 80% and is the best prognosticator of survival of colorectal cancer patients. Pancreatic cancer can be discriminated from pancreatitis with 100% certainty. Therefore, the assay is an excellent tool for the pathologist to provide additional information in difficult cases of diagnosis of cancer and for prognosis.