The ISOBM TD-6 Workshop is the first international workshop on monoclonal antibodies against the Sialyl Lewis^a (SLe^a) antigen. Eight research groups participated in a blind study to characterize the epitope binding, relative affinity and performance in immunoradiometric assays, of a panel of 20 monoclonal antibodies. The antibodies were tested against a diverse panel of neoglycoconjugates, purified antigens and human serum pools from gastrointestinal malignancies. Epitope specificities were determined for the majority of antibodies in the panel. Cross-reactivity with related saccharide structures was noted in several antibodies. Overall, the results of the TD-6 Workshop show further development of SLe^a immunoassays may yield yet more specific assays for the detection and management of gastrointestinal and other malignancies.

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Samples of tumor and normal mucosa from 32 patients with adenocarcinoma of the colorectum were examined for their capacity to bind radioiodinated antibody to carcinoembryonic antigen (anti-CEA) lgG. Twenty-three (72%) of the tumors bound significantly more antibody than the respective normal mucosa. The results indicate that radiolabeled anti-CEA may be useful in the in vivo localization of CEA-producing tumors and metastases in man, and may have application in vitro as a diagnostic marker of precancerous change in colorectal biopsies from patients at risk of developing colorectal cancer.