The presence of anti-carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) antibodies in the sera of patients with gastrointestinal malignancies.
Using an enzyme-linked immunoassay we tested the sera of 71 patients with digestive system cancer, 35 patients with various nonmalignant disorders, and 28 normal individuals for anti-CEA activity. Antibodies were found in the sera of 51% of the patients. Most of the patients positive for the antibodies (70%) had no evidence of metastatic disease. Fewer than 10% of the sera from control groups had anti-CEA activity. The authors concluded that the patients suffering from cancer of the GI system are capable of producing tumor-specific antibodies. These antibodies could be used as a tumor marker and/or as a possible index for the function of the immune system. The presence of a large tumor mass could lead to the removal of these antibodies from the circulation.
Konstadoulakis
M M
MM
Department of Surgery, Medical School, Athens University, Greece.
Syrigos
K N
KN
Albanopoulos
C
C
Mayers
G
G
Golematis
B
B
D000328:Adult; D000912:Antibodies, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis*; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000032:analysis; D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen / Q000276:immunology*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000276:immunology; D005770:Gastrointestinal Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology
D000912:Antibodies, Neoplasm; D001323:Autoantibodies; D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen