T/Tn pancarcinoma autoantigens: fundamental, diagnostic, and prognostic aspects.

Pathogenetic aspects of pancarcinoma T/Tn autoantigens were investigated; they are present in approximately 90% of all carcinomas from incipience and throughout. T/Tn are occluded in noncarcinoma (non-CA) diseased and healthy tissues. By serological and immunohistochemical methods, we found that well-differentiated carcinomata express a higher proportion of T than Tn, while in poorly differentiated carcinomata, Tn predominates over T. Tn density of primary carcinomas correlates positively with aggressiveness, early clinical relapse, and early death. Delayed-type skin hypersensitivity to T (DTHR-T) and solid-phase anti-T antibody immunoassay (SPIA-T), respectively, detected 85% of 461 and 88% of 222 carcinoma patients; < 7% of over 450 benign diseased and healthy subjects reacted positively in these assays. T/anti-T assays are highly effective in detecting incipient (TisN0M0 and T1N0M0) carcinomas: DTHR-T-85% of 41, and SPIA-T-96% of 26 patients. Positive anti-T tests predicted CA in 74% of 47 patients months to years before their biopsy/X-ray turned positive.