On the presence of autoantibodies in the plasma of patients suffering from medullary carcinoma of the thyroid.
Thyroiditis is associated with certain cases of medullary carcinoma of the thyroid (MCT). In order to determine if this was due to the presence of autoantibodies, we have investigated whether plasma from patients suffering from the disease contain autoantibodies. The specificity of the reaction was established using specific antibodies to antigens such as: calcitonin (CT), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and thyroglobulin (Tg); no antibodies against CT, CEA or Tg were detected in the plasma from the patients investigated. The presence of autoantibodies to a constituent of the tumor was established in each case studied. The detection of autoantibodies to a "specific" constituent of MCT could be of potential interest in the early screening for the disease.
D000912:Antibodies, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis*; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000032:analysis*; D002116:Calcitonin / Q000276:immunology; D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen / Q000276:immunology; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000276:immunology*; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006801:Humans; D013954:Thyroglobulin / Q000276:immunology; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology*; D013967:Thyroiditis, Autoimmune / Q000276:immunology
D000912:Antibodies, Neoplasm; D001323:Autoantibodies; D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen; D002116:Calcitonin; D013954:Thyroglobulin