Search

Primary and recurring breast carcinomas do not differ in the expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), C-erb-2 oncoprotein, carcinoembryonic antigen and trophoblastic antigen. The content of PCNA and C-erb-2 oncoprotein is twice as high in tumors with an unfavorable prognosis and the frequency of combination of these markers is much higher comparing to tumors with a good prognosis.

Mammary carcinoma (MC) of various histological structure are studied immunomorphologically. Positive reaction with proliferative cells nuclear antigen (PCNA) oncoprotein cerbB-2, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), trophoblastic beta 1 globulin (TBG) and tissue protein ferritin (Fe) was observed in one third, and with cyprein in half of MC cases. Clear-cut dependence of immunomorphological parameters upon histologic structure and degree of malignancy was not established. An increase of PCNA content with the tumor size increase was observed. There is a tendency to more frequent observation of CEA, Fe, TBG in the presence of the lymph nodes metastases. Most unfavourable for the prognosis are combinations of positive reactions of CEA with TBG, CEA with OCNA, CEA with cerbB-2 as well as PCNA, cerbB-2, CEA.

129 cases of non-malignant gastric lesions and 171 cases of gastric carcinoma were studied immunohistochemically for pepsinogen C. PgC was constantly expressed at the bottom of the gastric glands irrespective of the disease. PgC was much more frequently observed in cancer patients (p < 0.001). PgC-positive were carcinoma tissues (38%), particularly of the intestinal type (53.4%), but also in mixed (40%) and diffuse (15.5%) types. PgC-negative carcinomas were more frequently observed in combination with PgC-positive areas of the surface epithelium (p < 0.001) and intestinal metaplasia (p < 0.05). PgC-positive dysplastic foci were observed in both groups of PgC-positive and PgC-negative malignant tumours.

The stomach carcinoma micrometastases to lymph nodes were revealed by nondirect immunoperoxidase method. The reaction was performed on the slides of lymph nodes stained with hematoxylin and eosin taken from pathomorphologic archives, by the mixture of polyclonal antibodies to carcinoembryonic antigen, beta-I-meconial antigen and pepsinogen C. The micrometastases were found in 7 of 58 cases (10.8%) that had initial histologic diagnosis "lack of metastases".

The expression of 4 meconial antigens--beta-1-MA, beta-2-MA, MMA, gamma-MA in neoplastic and preneoplastic colonic mucosa was studied. Meconial antigens were revealed in small amount in adult normal colonic epithelium. The mucosa adjacent to tumours was rich in these antigens. Cellular localization of meconial antigens in these parts of colonic mucosa was similar to that of embryonal alimentary tract. beta-1-MA was found in 96%, beta-2-MA--73.6%, MMA--82.8%, gamma-MA--31.8% of colonic carcinomas.

The location of embryonic prealbumin (EPA) was investigated by indirect immune peroxidase test in gastric mucosa: 16 cases of chronic gastritis without malignant tumour and in 48 cases of gastric carcinoma. EPA in the mucosa was found in 35% cases of carcinoma outside the tumour and 31.3% cases of mucosa without tumour. The highest expression of EPA was found in stromal component of hyperplastic polyp without malignancy. Comparison of EPA and carcinoembryonic antigen in tissue did not reveal the presence of correlation between these oncofetal markers. Most likely this antigen is of a reactive nature and it can not be used for the evaluation of the probability of gastric mucosa malignant transformation.

The review deals with antigenic markers used for immunocytochemical diagnosis of malignant tumours describes theoretical and practical basis for identification of malignant cells in lymph nodes, bone marrow, peritoneal and pleural effusions and sputum with application of tumour markers. The identification of micrometastases in lymph nodes of patients with gastric cancer and the identification of malignant cells in smears from effusions illustrate the authors' own results. The description of immunocytochemical methods is given.

Normal gastric mucosa and that in atrophic gastritis was studied by indirect immunoperoxidase method. Intestinal antigens CEA and beta 1MA were found in the foetal stomach and in the foci of intestinal metaplasia with and without dysplastic epithelial changes. Gastric antigens, pepsinogens of the foetal and 2-nd type, were found in foetal and adult stomach, as well as in the foci of intestinal metaplasia with dysplastic changes. The discovery of concomitant presence of gastric and colonic antigens in the dysplastic epithelium may indicate the existence of pluripotent stem cells capable of differentiation in the direction of gastric glandular epithelium, and in the direction of enterocytes. The possibility is suggested of origination of gastric carcinoma of different histologic structure from intestinal metaplasia with dysplastic changes.

The distribution of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), organ specific colonic antigen (C) and two pepsinogens (P) was studied in the peritumorous mucosa and in the tumours (one carcinoid and 3 adenomas) in the stomach of a patient, that had undergone the Bilroth-II resection 10 years before. No antigens were found in the carcinoid. C-antigen was found in the adenomas. The peritumorous gastric mucosa, morphologically not changed contained P, but not C and CEA. Mucosal areas adjacent to the adenomas had dysplastic or metaplastic changes, contained CEA and C, but didn't contain P.

Localization of organospecific gastric and intestinal antigens, as well as of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) was studied by an indirect immune peroxidase method on the sections of fetal stomach, normal definitive stomach, gastric mucosa with features of superficial and deep gastritis, enterolysis and dysplasia, as well as in gastric tumours. Normally, pepsinogen was found to localize in zymogen cells and to disappear in enterolysis and dysplasia of gastric mucosa. Intestinal antigen is absent from the normal mucosa, but is found in all the cases with enterolysis and dysplasia. CEA is most specific for dysplasia of gastric epithelium. In cancers of intestinal type pepsinogen was found in 54%, intestinal (colonic) antigen in 37.5%, CEA in 62.5%. In diffuse type cancers pepsinogen was absent, intestinal antigen was found in 76.9%, CEA in 92% of tumours.

Immunologic techniques were used to examine localization of the intestinal antigen beta-2-MA in 87 cases of malignant gastric tumors and 25 cases of non-neoplastic diseases of the stomach. The antigen was identified in 46.4% of gastric carcinomas. The presence of the antigen was not found to be related to a histological type of cancer. The beta-2-MA antigen was detected in the areas of intestinal metaplasia alone in 48% of the cases and in combination with malignant tumors in 50.9%. The antigen was found to be more common in the mucosa adjacent to those of diffuse cancer than in the mucosa located around cancer of intestinal type (p less than 0.01). beta-2-MA is one of the antigens showing intestine-differentiated cells in a number of gastric tumors and may be useful for immunological studies of gastric neoplastic types.