Combined Staining of TAG-72, MUC1, and CA 125 Improves Labeling Sensitivity in Ovarian Cancer: Antigens for Multi-targeted Antibody Guided Therapy

Subhash C. Chauhan ^1*, Namita Vinayek ¹, Diane M. Maher ¹, Maria C. Bell ¹, Katrina A. Dunham ¹, Michael D. Koch ¹, Yuhlong Lio ¹ and Meena Jaggi ¹

¹ Cancer Biology Research Institute, Sanford Research/USD (SCC,NV,DMM,KAD,MJ), Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology (SCC,MCB,MJ), Department of Laboratory Medicine (MDK), Sanford School of Medicine, and Department of Mathematics (YL), The University of South Dakota, Vermillion, South Dakota

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: subhash.chauhan{at}usd.edu.

Submitted on February 19, 2007
Accepted on 5 April 2007

	Abstract

Single antigen targeted intraperitoneal radioimmunotherapy (IRIT) for ovarian cancer has shown limited success. Due to the heterogeneous expression of tumor antigens on cancer cells, a multi-antigen targeting approach appears logical to augment the therapeutic efficacy of antibody guided therapy. In the interest of developing this novel approach, ovarian cancer tissue microarray slides containing cancer and benign/non-neoplastic tissue samples (n=92) were processed for single, double and triple antigen labeling using antibodies for the tumor associated antigens TAG-72, MUC1 and CA 125. Among all ovarian cancer types, 72, 61 and 50% of the samples showed immunolabeling for TAG-72, MUC1 and CA 125, respectively. The expression level of these antigens was significantly (p<0.005) higher in advanced stage carcinomas compared to early stage. Of the 48 epithelial ovarian cancer samples, individual anti-TAG-72, MUC1 and CA 125 antibody probing showed labeling in 89.5%, 87.5% and 73.0% of the cases, respectively. In the majority of the cancer samples (>70%), a heterogeneous labeling pattern was observed (only 30-40% of the cancer cells within the sample were labeled). However, upon combining the three antigens (triple antigen labeling), 98% of the epithelial ovarian cancer samples were labeled and greater than 95% of the cancer cells within each sample were labeled. Our data indicate that the heterogeneous expression of cancer antigens appears to be a major obstacle in antibody guided therapy and this can be overcome by multiple antigen targeting. Therapeutic efficacy of antibody guided therapy for ovarian cancer treatment will be enhanced by the combined targeting of TAG-72, MUC1 and CA 125.

Key Words: ovarian cancer, ovarian cancer therapy, TAG-72, MUC1, CA 125

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				S. C. Chauhan, K. Vannatta, M. C. Ebeling, N. Vinayek, A. Watanabe, K. K. Pandey, M. C. Bell, M. D. Koch, H. Aburatani, Y. Lio, et al. Expression and Functions of Transmembrane Mucin MUC13 in Ovarian Cancer Cancer Res., February 1, 2009; 69(3): 765 - 774. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Guidelines | Subscriptions | About | exPRESS - Current - Archive | Business Information | Contact

The Journal of Histochemistry & Cytochemistry is owned, published, and licensed by The Histochemical Society © 2007