Tumor-associated antigen(s) from granulosa cell carcinomas of the ovary.

SUMMARY These studies indicate that granulosa cell and granulosa theca cell cancers of the ovary contain two common tumor associated antigenic components that are apparently absent from normal ovaries and other histologically similar normal organs. The tumor antigens were immunologically distin guishable from the tumor antigens ofepithelial ovarian cyst adenocarcinomas but were indistinguishable from the tumor antigens of squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix. The granulosa cell carcinoma antigens were extractable with 0.6 M penchlonic acid, and the antigenic activity was contained in a single absonbance peak when fractionated by gel filtration. Extracts of the malignant granulosa cell tumors, the tumor antigenic material isolated by gel filtra tion, and the serum of the patients bearing these tumors all appeared to contain carcinoembryonic antigen by a Hansen type radioimmunoassay. However, immunological testing by direct Ouchterlony reaction and counten-electrophoresis failed to detect any cancinoembryonic antigen in the tumor extracts. Also, the pnecipitin-inhibition studies showed a clean difference between carcinoembryonic antigen and granulosa cell cancer antigens.