Expression of Le(a) (Lewis(a)), Le(b) (Lewis(b)), X (Lewis X), Y (Lewis Y), SPan-1 and CEA was detected by an immunohistochemical method using a panel of antibodies in paraffin-embedded materials from 45 rectal adenocarcinomas and the corresponding normal mucosa. The relationships between antigen expression and grade of differentiation and survival were analyzed. Compared to the expression in normal mucosa, the expression of Le(a) was decreased in tumors while the expression of Le(b), X, Y. SPan-1 and CEA was increased. The expression of Le(a) and SPan-1 was associated with the grade of differentiation (p = 0.0001 and p = 0.02, respectively). Positive expression of Le(a) and SPan-1 correlated with poor prognosis (p = 0.0001 and p = 0.002, respectively), but positive expression of Y predicated favorable prognosis (p = 0.01). Our findings indicate that some of the tumor-related antigens might provide information important for the diagnosis, determining histologic differentiation and prognosis in rectal adenocarcinomas.