[Clinical implication of serum antibody to Thomsen-Friedenreich antigen in patients with gynecological malignancies].
Thomsen-Friedenreich antigen (T-antigen) is a carbohydrate antigen that is expressed in a variety of cancer tissues. T-antigen is thought to have an antigenicity because circulating T antibodies can be detected as natural antibodies in humans. In this study, we examined the serum T antibody titers in patients with gynecological cancer using the hemagglutination test, and studied the relationship between the expression of T-antigen in cancer tissues and serum TA-4 levels and serum T antibody titers. Serum T antibody titers in patients with gynecological cancer were lower than those in normal controls, especially in endometrial and ovarian cancer (p less than 0.05) in which T-antigen was strongly expressed. Furthermore, the low antibody titers correlated with the expression of T-antigen in cancer tissues. T antibody titers significantly increased (p less than 0.01) after operation and the inverse relationship was found with the levels of circulating TA-4 in cervical cancer patients. These findings suggests that patients with gynecological cancer immunologically responded to T-antigen and the measurement of circulating T antibodies may be useful as an indicator of the progression of cancer in tissues.
Yasui
T
T
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, University of Tokushima.
Sakamoto
Y
Y
Ueda
T
T
Maeda
N
N
Shitsukawa
K
K
Furumoto
H
H
Mori
K
K
Daitoh
T
T
Irahara
M
M
Kamada
M
M
D000906:Antibodies / Q000032:analysis*; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis*; D015295:Antigens, Tumor-Associated, Carbohydrate; D004187:Disaccharides / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D005833:Genital Neoplasms, Female / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans
D000906:Antibodies; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D015295:Antigens, Tumor-Associated, Carbohydrate; D004187:Disaccharides; C036649:tumor antigen TA-4, human; C016467:Thomsen-Friedenreich antigen; C025991:Thomsen-Friedenreich antibodies