DISTRIBUTION OF CARCINOEMBRYONIC ANTIGENS AND BLOOD-GROUP SUBSTANCES IN ADENOCARCINOMA OF THE COLON

  • 1 January 1981
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 44  (6) , 507-513
Abstract
Immunoperoxidase techniques were used to localize carcinoembryonic antigens (CEA) and human blood group substances (BGS) in 41 adenocarcinomas of the colon and 15 metastases or recurrences of these tumors. Ten primary tumors (24%) were strongly positive for both antigens, 12 (29%) were positive for BGS only, 11 (27%) were positive for CEA only and 8 (20%) contained only microscopic amounts of either. With few exceptions, individual tumor cells contained CEA, BGS or neither but not both. Cancers of the left colon which were positive for BGS were associated with a lower frequency of metastases than were those without BGS (P < 0.01); tumors lacking both CEA and BGS metastasized more frequently than those tumors containing either or both antigens (P < 0.01). In tumors of the right colon, there was no significant correlation between antigen content and frequency of metastases. In 3 cases, the development of recurrent or metastatic tumor was associated with a loss of BGS positivity. Immunohistochemical studies of BGS and CEA may be of value in estimating the clinical behavior of certain colon carcinomas.