Immunohistochemical Study of the T-Antigen on the Transitional Cell Carcinoma of the Urinary Bladder

Kim, Wun Jae; Kim, Chul Woo; Kim, Young Kyoon

Abstract

The T-antigen(Thomsen-Friedenreich antigen, T-Ag) has been found in malignant cells but in most normal cells, in which the T-Ag is cryptic but can be unmasked with neuraminidase. The significance of T-Ag expression in urinary bladder cancer by staining paraffin sections with a T-specific lectin(Peanut agglutinin, PNA) immunoperoxidase technic was investigated. Sixty-five cases of transitional cell carcinoma were divided into three grades as I, II and III by the degree of cellular differentiation and four groups as A : superficial tumors without recurrence, B ; superficial tumors with recurrence but without up-staging, C :superficial tumors with recurrence and up-staging and D ; initially invasive tumors accordingly. Over all T-Ag positive rate in transitional cell carcinomas was 37% and 5 normal and 5 inflammatory vesical mucosas were negative for T-Ag. In 95% of transitional cell carcinomas initially negative for T-Ag, cryptic T-Ag became positive after neuraminidase treatment. The control subjects initially all negative for T-Ag became positive for cryptic T-Ag after neuraminidase treatment. The T-Ag positive rates of group A, B, C and D were 25%, 30%. 50% and 58%, respectively and those of grade I, II and III were 28%, 37% and 47%, respectively. The positive rate of T-Ag was correlated with the grade but not with the recurrence or invasiveness. Also, T-Ag expression was not correlated with ABO(H) blood group. These conflicting data suggest that further extensive study will be necessary whether immunohistochemical detection of T-Ag in tissue sections could be of prognostic value in patients with transitional cell carcinoma.