MUC6 and cancer: The intermediate state cancer cells referred to tumor components that were morphologically intermediate between differentiated adenocarcinoma and neuroendocrine carcinoma but did not express the well-known markers of either differentiated adenocarcinoma (MUC5AC and MUC6) or neuroendocrine carcinoma (Syn and CgA), although it can be regarded as differentiated adenocarcinoma in pathological examination (Fig. 5A).