Abstract
Immunoperoxidase staining for CEA was performed in 33 colorectal cancers, 10 lymphnodes metastases and 17 liver metastases. One polyclonal and seven monoclonal antibodies against CEA (1A4, 1B2, 2C3, 4H11, 5H7, 6C7, 7D1) were used in this study.
The results were as follows :
1) All the primary lesions and metastases were positive for polyclonal and five monoclonal antibodies.
2) Using 1A4, 10 of primary lesions, 2 of lymphnodes metastases (each of primary lesion was negative) and 10 of liver metastases (6 of primary lesions were negative) were not stained.
3) Using 4H11, 9 of primary lesions, 2 of lymphnodes metastases (each of primary lesion was negative) and 7 of liver metastases (3 of primary lesions were negative) were not stained.
4) The sites of staining with CEA antibodies were similar in each of primary lesions and lymphnodes metastases, but there were difference between the primary lesions and their liver metastases in 9 of 17 patients.
These results concerning CEA suggest that cancer cells in liver metastases could aquire different biological characters from cancer cells of the primary lesion.
