The present invention provides a method for examining colorectal cancer
and colorectal adenoma, which enables to detect colorectal cancer
patients and patients at high risk of colorectal cancer at a high
probability and is useful for diagnosis of colorectal cancer and
colorectal adenoma, and provides the examination reagents thereof. The
present inventors discovered that there are significant differences in
the distribution of GlcNAc-6-sulfotransferase isozymes, sulfation enzymes
of sugar residues, among non-cancer colorectal tissues, colorectal cancer
tissues and colorectal adenoma tissues. Furthermore the inventors applied
the discovery to diagnosis and found that colorectal cancers and adenomas
are detected specifically by assaying a definite range of
GlcNAc-6-sulfated sugar residues in tissues from patients or feces
samples. MECA-79 antibody (Pharmingen, catalog No. 09961D, Distributor:
Becton Dickinson), reacting with GlcNAc-6-sulfated sugar residues, which
are produced specifically by the enzyme present in colorectal cancer and
colorectal adenoma tissues could be used for the examination of
colorectal cancers and colorectal adenomas.