A Tumor-Associated Antigen in Human Nephroblastomas (Wilms' Tumor/Virus/Immunoelectrophoresis/Immunofluorescence) P
Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA Vol. 70, No. 7, pp. 2051-2054, July 1973 A Tumor-Associated Antigen in Human Nephroblastomas (Wilms' tumor/virus/immunoelectrophoresis/immunofluorescence) P. BURTIN AND M. C. GENDRON Laboratorie d'Immunochimie, Institut de Recherches Scientifiques sur le Cancer, 94800 Villejuif, France Communicated by Andre LIwoff, April19, 1978 ABSTRACT Antisera prepared against extracts of diseases (tuberculosis, pyelonephritis, and polykystic disease), human nephroblastomas (Wilms' tumors) allowed the characterization in these extracts, and in a few extracts three were obtained at necropsy from patients who died from of tumors of other organs, of a tumor-associated antigen. different diseases, cancerous or not. A pool of 18 kidneys of This antigen is different from all previously described anti- children who died from congenital cardiopathies was studied. gens, and was named W antigen (W for Wilms). It does not Other noncancerous organs obtained at necropsy were: livers, seem to be a carcinoembryonic antigen, and hence it adrenals, lung, heart, thymus, and epididymis. Those ob- could be of viral origin. tained after surgery were: colonic and gastric mucosae, Immunochemical studies have led to the discovery of several spleen, and urinary bladder. Different kinds of mucus secre- tumor-associated antigens, all of fetal origin. Two of them have tion were: gastric mucus, jejunal juice, and pools of saliva. been isolated, and their usefulness in diagnosis and surveil- Fetal Organs were generally obtained from the third to the lance of some carcinomas has been well documented: they are sixth month of gestation: kidney, liver, lung, adrenals, muscle, the a fetoprotein (1, 2) and the carcinoembryonic antigen of epididymis, urinary bladder, skin, stomach, and colon.
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