Pancreatic oncofetal antigen in pancreatic juices. Partial chemical characterization and diagnostic application of a pancreatic cancer-associated antigen.

Antisera were raised in rabbits to an antigenic structure present in fetal pancreas tissue, pancreatic tumor tissue, and pancreatic juices and in sera obtained from pancreatic cancer patients. The first chemical data indicate that this pancreatic oncofetal antigen is distinct from CEA, NCA, and NCA2 and is not glycolipid in nature. Immunoelectrophoretic analyses demonstrate that pancreatic oncofetal antigen is a protein or a glycoprotein, which displays microheterogeneity. The apparent molecular weight of the basic unit of pancreatic oncofetal antigen is estimated to about 40 K. So far 234 pancreatic juices have been investigated for pancreatic oncofetal antigen. Pancreatic oncofetal antigen was detected within the pancreatic juices from 59 of 74 (80%) pancreatic carcinoma patients but could be traced in only 16%-26% of samples obtained from patients with other diseases.