Detection of the circulating antibodies to teratocarcinomadefined antigens in patients with testicular tumours.

Sera from twenty-three patients with primary or metastatic testicular tumours of germinal origin were tested for antibodies against teratocarcinoma-associated antigen(s), using an indirect immunofluorescence technique. Human and 129/Sv mouse sperm and mouse teratocarcinoma cell line 402 AX were used as target cells. A total of fifteen sera were identified as positive, six of them when tested against both sperm and tumour cells. Tail staining has been the most prevalent pattern of fluorescence on both human and murine spermatozoa. These observations suggest that antibody to a common teratoma-defined antigen(s) was detected in sera of patients with testicular tumours.