Immnological diagnosis of the cancer of the corpus uteni

Abstract

An attempt was made to demonstrate the presence of tumor specific antigens in cancer cell of the human endometrial adenocarcinoma and to apply it to the diagnosis of malignant cells in endometrial smear using immunofluorescent antibody technique.Rabbits were divided into 3 groups. The different groups were immunized with nuclear, mitochondrial and microsomal fractions prepared from cancer cells of endometrial adenocarcinoma by the method of W.C. Schneider.The sera obtained from each groups were absorbed by the each fractions prepared from normal epithelial cells of the endometrium. Their specifities were determined by the Ouchterlony plates.On agar gel diffusion tests, tumor specifities were shown in antimitochondrial and antimicrosomal sera.In the immunofluorescent staining for tissue sections of endometrial adenocarcinoma and aspiration smears, the indirect technique of Coons was carried out using the sheep anti-rabbit globulin antiserum conjugated to fluorescein.On the histologic sections and aspiration smears prepared with antimitochondrial and antimicrosomal sera, the specific fluorescence was seen in the cytoplasm and a few granules in the nucleus of cancer cells. On the contrary, no fluorescence was seen in normal endometrial cells.From above mentioned facts, it is evident that the cancer specifity existed in mitochondrial and microsomal fractions, and this specific fluorescence can contribute largely to detection of cancer cell in aspiration smears and endometrial tissue.