Thomsen-Friedenreich antigen in bladder tumors as detected by specific antibody: a possible marker of recurrence.

TUR specimens of non-invasive transitional-cell carcinomas were examined for their expression of Thomsen-Friedenreich (T) antigen by indirect immunofluorescence staining using rabbit IgG antibody which was raised with desialated glycophorin. Nine (45%) out of 20 tumors of low grade (Grade I and II), and 5 (56%) of 9 tumors of high grade (III) were diffusely stained with anti-T (T-positive), whereas T-antigen in normal tissue was cryptic and stained only after neuraminidase treatment (cryptic T-positive). Of the T-negative tumors, 9 (45%) of the low grade but only one of the high grade tumors, were stained positively for the cryptic T-antigen. The rest of the tumors were devoid of the cryptic T-antigen. Eighty percent of both Tumors expressing T-antigen and those lacking the cryptic T-antigen recurred within two years. Recurrence was not influenced by initial histological grade.