The use of antisera to epithelial membrane antigen in detecting micrometastases in histological sections

Abstract

We have investigated, by immunocytochemical means, the value of an antiserum raised to milk-fat-globule membranes in detecting metastatic deposits of breast carcinoma in conventional histological sections of liver, lymph nodes and marrow. The antiseum recognizes a membrane component, which we have called Epithelial Membrane Antigen, and which is confined to but widely distributed in epithelial tissues and tumours derived from them. In the sections examined, a greater extent of tumour infiltration was usually found, largely due to the identification of single malignant cells which normally go unrecognized with conventional stains. The number of positive samples was only increased, however, in sections of marrow aspirates, and the reasons for this are discussed. We suggest that further increases in detection rates could be attained by using the antiserum on cytological smears of marrow or even in cell suspensions. Images Fig. 1 Fig. 2 Fig. 3 Fig. 4

The immunocytochemical detection of axillary micrometastases in breast cancer

“…The results in this paper should be compared with those previously reported by Sloane et al (1980) in which lymph nodes from cases of breast cancer were examined immunohistologically using a polyclonal antiserum directed against epithelial membrane antigen (similar in its specificity to the two monoclonal anti-milk fat globule membrane antigen antibodies used in the present study). However Sloane et al (1980) (Huvos et al, 1971;Attiyeh et al, 1977;Fisher et al, 1978).…”

Epithelial membrane antigen: Partial purification, assay and properties

“…An immunohistochemical stain for EMA can identify minute metastatic deposits of carcinoma in organs such as liver and bone marrow (Sloane et al, 1980;Dearnaley et al, 1981). Our most recent studies have shown that EMA positive cells can be found in the marrows of approximately one third of patients at the time of surgery for a primary breast cancer (Dearnaley et al, 1983).…”

Evaluation of a rosetting method in detection of breast cancer cells

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Epithelial membrane antigen (EMA) (Heyderman et al, 1979) is a membrane component expressed by most epithelial cells, by all breast carcinomas and their metastases but not by the vast majority of normal bone marrow cells (Sloane et al, 1980 (Goding, 1976). Briefly a 1% solution of chromium chloride (CrCl3) in 0.9% sodium chloride (NaCl) was adjusted to pH 5 by the addition of 1 N sodium hydroxide twice-weekly for 3 weeks, then stored without further adjustment in a dark container.

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“…Epithelial membrane antigen (EMA) (Heyderman et al, 1979) is a membrane component expressed by most epithelial cells, by all breast carcinomas and their metastases but not by the vast majority of normal bone marrow cells (Sloane et al, 1980). It has been shown that immunocytochemical staining for EMA can detect very small numbers of breast cancer in bone marrow smears that appear normal by conventional haematological techniques (Dearnaley et al, 1981).…”