The expression of CEA and HMFG antigens in ovarian clear-cell and endomemetroid carcinomas

Summary The tumour antigen expression of ovarian and emdomutria/ andomet,ioid carcinomas, ovarian clear-cell carcinomas as well as endometrial and cervical clear-cell carcinomas were immunohistochemically compared. Of special interest were potential differences between the endometrioid and clear-cell carcinomas of the ovary. The expression of CEA and CA 19-9 tumour antigens in a8these tumour types was heterogeneous, with 20–20% of the cases being positive for CEA and 4O–7S% being positive for CA 19-9. In contrast, HMFG lDC12 a monoclonal antibody originally directed against human milk fat globule (BMFC) nnmm8rone antigens, invariably detected a corresponding antigen on every case of these tumour types. Another HMFG antibody, SM IF 3, on the other hand, detected antigenic material on all clear-cell tumour types, but only rarely on endometrioid tumours of the ovary o, undonze/rimnn. While HMFG DIC 22 detects an antigen present on all ovarian, endomatria/amd mammary carcinomas 4 , 10 antibody SM IF 3 thus appears to be more restricted in its staining patterns. Our results with both of these antibodies indicate that ovarian clear-cell carcinomas and ovarian endometrioid carcinomas have antigenic differences, which provides further evidence that they belong to different tumour entities.