Radioimmunolocalization using the radiolabeled monoclonal anti-cea antibody 11-285-14 lacks diagnostic utility for the differentiation of pancreatic and bile duct cancer from chronic pancreatitis and sclerosing cholangitis

Abstract

CEA expression was determined by immunohistochemistry in paraffin sections from cases of pancreatic cancer(n = 30), chronic pancreatitis(n = 10), cholangiocarcinoma(n = 12), and sclerosing cholangitis (n-4) using a new anti-CEA monoclonal antibody (11-285-14). CEA was expressed in 77% of pancreatic cancers and 80% of cholangiocarcinomas, but was not detected in any of the cases of sclerosing cholangitis. Although 60% of chronic pancreatitic tissues were positive, staining intensity was markedly reduced compared to cancers. Twenty-five patients with these conditions were therefore studied using radioimmunolocalization. Eleven of 12 pancreatic cancers were positively imaged, as were all three biliary tumors. However, positive scans were also obtained in 50% of the cases of chronic pancreatitis and sclerosing cholangitis. The overall sensitivity (68%) and specificity (63%) of radioimmunolocalization using the 11-285-14 antibody were not high enough to justify its use for diagnosis.