Localization of carcinoembryonic antigen in medullary thyroid carcinoma by immunofluorescent techniques

Abstract

Summary.-Cellular localization of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) in medullary thyroid carcinoma was studied in ethanol-fixed, paraffin-embedded specimens using the direct and indirect immunofluorescent techniques. It was demonstrated that CEA was present not only on the surface, but also in the cytoplasm of tumour cells. The immunofluorescence in the cytoplasm differed considerably in intensity from cell to cell. By contrast, no significant fluorescence was demonstrated in tissues of other types of thyroid adenocarcinoma, adenoma, Graves' disease and normal thyroid, with few exceptions. The results obtained indicate that CEA is actively produced by the tumour cells, and is present as a constituent of the cell membrane.

Epithelial markers in thyroid carcinoma: an immunoperoxidase study

“…In a recent study (Krisch et al 1985) CEA was not detected in these tumours. However, weak CEA immunofluorescence has previously been demonstrated on the cell surface of one out of five papillary carcinomas (Hamada & Hamada 1977). In the thyroid, therefore, CEA is not confined exclusively to medullary carcinoma.…”

“…Epithelial membrane antigen, a large glycoprotein )-has been demonstrated on secretory and other epithelial surfaces (Heyderman, Steele & Ormerod 1979), and has been shown to be of value in histopathological diagnosis , Sloane et al 1980, Dearnaley et al 1981, Sloane et al 1982, Sloane, Hughes & Ormerod 1983, Dearnaley et al 1983, Bamford et al 1983. Carcinoembryonic antigen, which was originally thought to be a gastrointestinal specific marker (Gold & Freedman 1965, Gold, Gold & Freedman 1968, has subsequently been demonstrated in a variety of non-gastrointestinal tumours (Goldenberg, Sharkey & Primus 1978), including medullary thyroid carcinoma (Isaacson & Judd 1976, Hamada & Hamada 1977, DeLellis et al 1978, Cox et al 1979, Talerman et al 1979, Lloyd er al. 1983, Logmans & Jobsis 1984, Krisch et al 1985.…”

CEA and non‐specific cross‐reacting antigen (NCA) in medullary carcinomas of the thyroid

“…Our data confirm that the antigen detected by previous authors (Hamada and Hamada, 1977) in MCT was CEA and not the cross-reacting antigen. The patterns we obtained with anti-CEA serum absorbzd on NCA immunosorbent were weaker than those seen with unabsorbed antiserum.…”

“…Levels of serum CEA could increase in patients having carcinomas of these organs, but reached only slightly elevated values, except in the case of metastasis. In contrast, high levels of serum CEA were detected in most of the patients afflicted with a medullary carcinoma of the thyroid (MCT) (lshikawa and Hamada, 1976;Calmettes et al 1977aCalmettes et al , 6, 1978, and immunofluorescence studies made on sections of these cancers showed the presence of relatively high concentrations of CEA in the cancerous C-type cells (Hamada and Hamada, 1977). However, these last results could be questioned, as they had been obtained with an anti-CEA serum that had not been absorbed with antigens cross-reacting with CEA, such as NCA (Mach and Pusztaszeri, 1972;von Kleist et al, 1972).…”

Osteoblastic metastases from medullary carcinoma of the thyroid

“…The tumour is characterized by slow growth and an early development of local spread and distant metastases, and by the secretion of thyrocalcitonin (TCT) and other biologically active substances (Tashjian and Melvin, 1968;Williams et al, 1968;Bernier et 1969; Baylin et al, 1972;Croughs et al, 1972;Melvin, 1974;Birkenhager et al, 1976;Shimaoka et al, 1980). More recently, CEA (carcinoembryonic antigen) is reported to be produced by this cancer (Ishikawa and Hamada, 1976;Hamada and Hamada, 1977). The tumour can occur sporadically, or with familial tendencies as an autosomal dominant inheritance.…”