Tumor Markers as Target Substances in the Radioimmunological Detection of Malignancies^[*]

Although none of the known tumor markers, including the relatively new ones characterized by monoclonal antibodies, are sufficiently sensitive or specific as to be useful in the primary diagnosis of incipient malignancies, many of them turned out, nevertheless, to be of great clinical importance: their main field of interest lies in the surveillance of the already diagnosed patient in the post-operative phase. More recently some of them, e.g. tumor proteins like CEA and AFP, hormones (HCG), some enzymes, and monoclonal antibodycharacterized membrane components, are used also as target antigens for the radioimmuno-detection (RAID) of carcinomas and their metastases. Most of the tumor marker antigens were already successfully used as targets for tumor imaging with radiolabeled antibodies; however, many immunological and technical problems still remain to be resolved.

Zusammenfassung

Obwohl keiner der bekannten Tumormarker einschließlich der relativ neuen, durch monoklonale Antikörper charakterisierten Tumormarker, sensitiv oder spezifisch genug ist, um bei der Primärdiagnose früher Malignome nützlich sein zu können, sind doch viele von ihnen von großer klinischer Bedeutung: Ihr Hauptanwendungsgebiet liegt in der Überwachung des bereits diagnostizierten Patienten in der postoperativen Phase. Seit einiger Zeit werden einige von ihnen, z.B. Tumorproteine wie CEA und AFP, Hormone (HCG), verschiedene Enzyme und durch monoklonale Antikörper charakterisierte Membrankomponenten als Zielantigene für die Radioimmunlokalisation von Karzinomen und ihren Metastasen verwandt. Viele der Tumormarkerantigene wur-den bereits erfolgreich als Targets für die Tumordarstellung mit radioisotopengekoppelten Antikörpern gebraucht; allerdings bleiben noch viele immunologische und technische Probleme zu lösen.

^* Presented at the Symposion on “Monoclonal Antibodies in Nuclear Medicine” in Freiburg i. Br., May 1-3, 1986.

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