Clinical implication of serum antibody to Thomsen-Friedenreich antigen in patients with gynecological malignancies
Yasui, T.; Sakamoto, Y.; Ueda, T.; Maeda, N.; Shitsukawa, K.; Furumoto, H.; Mori, K.; Daitoh, T.; Irahara, M.; Kamada, M.
Nihon Sanka Fujinka Gakkai Zasshi 40(5): 583-587
1988
ISSN/ISBN: 0300-9165 PMID: 3385276 Document Number: 311987
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.