This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Gelder, F. B. Articles by Hunter, R. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Gelder, F. B. Articles by Hunter, R.

Purification, Partial Characterization, and Clinical Evaluation of a Pancreatic Oncofetal Antigen¹

Departments of Pathology [F. B. G., C. J. R., R. H.] and Surgery [A. R. M., T. H.], The University of Chicago, and Franklin McLean Memorial Research Institute,^,4 Chicago, Illinois 60637

This paper describes the purification and partial characterization of a putative pancreatic oncofetal antigen. Pancreatic oncofetal antigen is a glycoprotein with a molecular weight between 800,000 and 900,000, which migrates in the ₂- to ß-region on electrophoresis. It is found in fetal pancreas and pancreatic cancer tissue, but it is not found in normal adult pancreas. Highly purified material migrated as a single band on polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and immunized rabbits to produce monospecific antibody without absorption. Pancreatic oncofetal antigen is clearly different from carcinoembryonic antigen, other known tumor-associated antigens, acutephase reactants, and normal serum proteins. In addition, a quantitative rocket immunoelectrophoresis assay sensitive enough to detect pancreatic oncofetal antigen in the serum of most patients was developed and used to monitor the purification of pancreatic oncofetal antigen and to evaluate its clinical application.

Assays for pancreatic oncofetal antigen were carried out on three panels of sera; one was collected at The University of Chicago, and two were supplied by the Mayo-National Cancer Institute Serum Plasma Bank. The results demonstrate that pancreatic oncofetal antigen is found in the sera of most individuals; however, by far the highest absolute levels and the highest frequency of elevated levels were found in sera of patients with carcinoma of the pancreas. Elevated levels of pancreatic concofetal antigen were also observed in the serum of some patients with carcinoma of the lung, stomach, colon, biliary tract, and breast as well as in the serum of some pregnant women and other individuals with certain benign conditions. The spectrum of patients who have elevated levels of pancreatic oncofetal antigen in their serum is quite different from that found with carcinoembryonic antigen or other known tumor markers. Serial assays were performed on the sera of several patients with cancer of the pancreas; the results suggest that measurement of pancreatic oncofetal antigen may be valuable in monitoring the course of cancer of the pancreas.

¹ Supported in part by USPHS Grants CA 17525 and CA 14599 and by Contract NO1-CB-43976.

² Supported by a postdoctoral fellowship from USPHS Training Grant A1 452. To whom requests for reprints should be addressed, at Department of Pathology, The University of Chicago, Box 414, 950 East 59th Street, Chicago, Ill. 60637.

³ Recipient of USPHS Research Career Development Award CA 00032.

⁴ Operated by The University of Chicago for the U. S. Energy Research and Development Administration under Contract EY-76-C-02-0069.

Received 11/ 8/76. Accepted 11/ 8/77.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				D. K. Pleskow, H. J. Berger, J. Gyves, E. Allen, A. McLean, and D. K. Podolsky Evaluation of a Serologic Marker, CA19-9, in the Diagnosis of Pancreatic Cancer Ann Intern Med, May 1, 1989; 110(9): 704 - 709. [Abstract] [PDF]

				C. R. Mackie, J. Bowie, M. J. Cooper, M. H. Lewis, and A. R. Moossa Ultrasonography and Tumor-associated Antigens: The Concept of Combining Noninvasive Tests in the Screening for Pancreatic Cancer Arch Surg, August 1, 1979; 114(8): 889 - 892. [Abstract] [PDF]

				ONCOLOGY COMMITTEE, MEDICAL KNOWLEDGE SELF-ASSESSM Oncology: An Annotated Bibliography of Recent Literature: References to Journal Articles and Other Papers Ann Intern Med, June 1, 1979; 90(6): 996 - 1000. [Abstract] [PDF]