The role of Tennessee antigen in the diagnosis of gastrointestinal malignancy.
Tennessee antigen (TAG) is a glycoprotein which has been extracted from adenocarcinoma of the colon. It is one of the numerous tumour associated antigens which has been developed and there is evidence that it differs considerably from carcino-embryonic antigen (CEA) preparations. A commercial kit using a haemagglutination inhibition assay is available and its ability to discriminate between benign and malignant conditions of the gastrointestinal tract has been studied, using 7.7 units/ml as the upper limit of normal. With upper gastrointestinal disease, discrimination is comparable to that achieved with TAG by other workers and also to that achieved with CEA. For gastric carcinoma TAG has a sensitivity of 71% and a specificity of 77%. With lower gastrointestinal tract disease discrimination was poor, TAG having a sensitivity of 76% but a specificity of 44% for colorectal carcinoma. Discrimination between pancreatic carcinoma and chronic pancreatitis was poor, TAG having a sensitivity of 100% for carcinoma and a specificity of 22%.
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000276:immunology; D000941:Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005770:Gastrointestinal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000276:immunology*; D006385:Hemagglutination Inhibition Tests; D006801:Humans; D007417:Intestinal Polyps / Q000175:diagnosis; D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic; D013714:Tennessee
D000941:Antigens; D006023:Glycoproteins; D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic