Serologic Analysis of Human Tumor Antigens. I. Antisarcoma Antibodies in the Sera of Patients With Osteogenic Sarcomas

Abstract

Using absorptions with human fetal tissue, we attempted to detect reactivity in the sera of patients with osteogenic sarcomas against antigens on autologous osteogenic sarcoma cells that are not on autologous normal cells. Quantitative absorptions revealed that 108 viable human fetal cells were capable of absorbing all reactivity from sarcoma-bearing patients’ sera against autologous skin cells in tissue culture. In 2 patients with osteogenic sarcomas, exhaustive quantitative absorption with human fetal tissue removed all reactivity against autologous normal skin cells but left activity against autologous osteogenic sarcoma cells in tissue culture. The sarcoma-reactive serum from 1 patient (J. B.) was tested against the normal and sarcoma cells from 4 additional patients. This serum reacted with osteogenic sarcoma cells from only 1 other patient (L. S.) and with none of the normal cells. After fetal absorption, sera from all 5 patients, however, reacted with sarcoma cells from patients J. B. and L. S. but not with normal cells from J. B. and L. S. Sera from patients with osteogenic sarcomas appeared to contain antibodies against both fetal- and tumor-related antigens expressed on osteogenic sarcoma cells in tissue culture. Reactivity against the tumor cells but not against the normal cells was apparent only following extensive absorption of these sera with human fetal tissue.