Immunocytochemical reactivity of breast cancer tissue with antibodies to neuron-specific enolase and an adenocarcinoma-associated glycolipid antigen.

The immunocytochemical reactivity of breast cancers to antibodies raised against neuron-specific enolase (NSE), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and an adenocarcinoma-associated glycolipid antigen (IR-14) was studied in relation to the long-term outcome of the neoplastic disease. The patients whose tumours exhibited reactivity with the IR-14 and anti-NSE antibodies had a considerably better 5-year and long-term survival than those without such reactivity. Assessment of DNA-ploidy of the tumour cells was also relevant for long-term prognosis, immunohistochemistry giving additional prognostic information among aneuploid tumours. Reactivity with polyclonal CEA antibodies was of no prognostic value. It is suggested that tumours carrying the IR-14 reactive epitope, which was originally isolated from circulating antigen-antibody complexes, might evoke a favourable immune response and thus improve the survival of the patient.