CARCINOEMBRYONIC ANTIGEN IN TUMOR TISSUE AND URINE IN CASES WITH PRIMARY BLADDER CANCER
A Study by Immunogold-Silver Staining and Radioimmunoassay
1988 Volume 79 Issue 3 Pages 469-474
Details
1988 Volume 79 Issue 3 Pages 469-474
Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) on the tissues of bladder cancer in 66 cases was detected using the recently elaborated immunogold-silver staning method and urinary CEA levels in some of the cases were measured by radioimmunoassay.
In immunogold-silver stained sections, CEA-positive tumor cells were detected in 33 (53.2%) of 62 transitional cell carcinomas (TCC), all of 3 adenocarcinomas, and in an undifferentiated carcinoma. These values of frequency were higher than the analogous values reported by the majority of previous authors, probably due to the high sensitivity of the technique used in the present study. In the first mentioned carcinomas (TCC), CEA-reactivity in the tumor tissues were correlated significantly with the histological grade (p<0.02) and pathological stage (p<0.01). From these result, positive CEA reaction in the tumor tissues seems to be a parameter for the malignant potential of tumors. On the contrary, there was no significant correlation between CEA-reactivity in the tumor tissues and tumor recurrence after TUR operation in 23 cases.
Urinay CEA levels of midstream specimens were measured in 19 cases of bladder cancer and in 16 healthy controls. The specimens were centrifugated at 3000rpm for 6 minutes in order to exclude the possibility of contamination, and stored at -20°C until assay.
Urinary CEA levels of healthy controls were significantly higher in females than in males (p<0.001). In male patients with bladder cancer, urinary CEA levels were significantly elevated as compared with the levels in male controls (p<0.02). However, this was not significant in females. Further, no correlation could be established between urinary CEA levels and the immunohistological CEA reactivity.
This immunogold-silver staining method, including an improved procedure of physical development, is easier to perform and more clear-cut than the immunoperoxidase method. Therefore, it will be applicable to detect various tumor markers.
