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Carcinoembryonic Antigen and Humoral Antibody Response in Patients with Thyroid Carcinoma¹

Departments of Pathology and Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637

Carcinoembryonic antigen and antibodies to thyro-globulin and to a microsomal fraction of thyroid were measured. Persons examined were normal volunteers, patients with thyroid cancer, and patients with a history of childhood irradiation to the thymus and/or tonsil who were otherwise normal. Elevated antigen and antibodies were most frequently found in the cancer thyroid group. Thyroid cancer patients with no previous history of childhood irradiation were more frequently positive for antigen and antibodies than all other categories studied. Thyroid cancer patients with a previous history of childhood irradiation showed normal frequencies of antigen and antibodies. The results suggest that the antigenic expression and host response to the tumor in patients with thyroid cancer depend on its pathogenesis. Mention is made of similar findings in animal model systems.

¹ Supported by American Cancer Society Illinois Division Grant 74-2, the University of Chicago Cancer Research Center USPHS Grant CA-14599, and the University of Chicago General Clinical Research Center Grant RR-55.

² Present address: Biochemical Pathology Department, University College Hospital Medical School, London, England.

Received 3/ 3/75. Accepted 6/20/75.