Tissue polypeptide antigen in tumor cytosol: A new prognostic indicator in primary breast cancer

Abstract

The assessment of the risk of relapse is a critical need in the management strategy of breast cancer patients. To date, the most reliable prognostic factor is axillary nodal status. Several other pathological and biological parameters are currently under evaluation. Since 1982 we have been studying the prognostic role of several tumor markers in breast cancer cytosol. Elevated cytosol concentrations of tissue polypeptide antigen (TPA) have been found to have a highly significant direct correlation with both prolonged relapse-free interval (RFI) and higher survival rate. The information provided by cytosol TPA was independent of both axillary nodal status and steroid receptor content. In patients with a low risk of relapse (no axillary metastases, estrogen and progesterone receptor positive), cytosol TPA was still a significant prognostic indicator.

Tissue Polypeptide Antigen and Tissue Polypeptide Specific Antigen in Primary Breast Cancer. Evaluation in Serum and Tutmour Tissue

“…tissue polypeptide antigen (TPA IRMA) and tissue polypeptide antigen (TPA-M IRMA) provide closely associated results; although their absolute values are in part different, they are expected to provide overlapping clinical Information; 2. tissue polypeptide specific antigen is associated with tissue polypeptide antigen (TPA-M IRMA) and tissue polypeptide antigen (TPA IRMA); the relationship between the tumour markers and other biological quantities are in the same direction. Even accepting that tissue polypeptide specific antigen could measure a tissue polypeptide antigen-specific epitope, it is evident that it also measures cytokeratin fragments in a quantitatively significant manner; 3. from a practical point of view, cytosol and serum should be considered independent biological fluids äs far äs tissue polypeptide antigen (TPA IRMA) and tissue polypeptide specific antigen determinations are concerned; 4. the direct association between cytosol levels of tissue polypeptide antigen (TPA IRMA), tissue polypeptide antigen (TPA-M IRMA), and tissue polypeptide specific antigen and receptor Status represents a potential association between the mafkers and prognosis, in agreement with previous fmdings of our group concerning cytosolic tissue polypeptide antigen (14)(15)(16).…”

“…The problem should be evaluated from the point of view of the clinical application, to assess whether the markers provide similar or different Information. This point is of relevance in breast cancer, since both serum and cytosol tissue polypeptide antigen (TPA IRMA) levels showed a clear clinical usefulness (10,(13)(14)(15)(16).…”

“…The accuracy was evaluated with the dilution test, which was carried out by using phosphate buffer containirig 3 g/l of bovine serum alburnm. This buffer had been previously validated for the tissue polypeptide antigen (TPA IRMA) assay in cytosol samples (14). The resülts of the evaluation of performance characteristics are summarized in table 1.…”

“…Conversely, a high cytosol tissue polypeptide antigen (TPA IRMA) level was shown to be a powerful, independent, favourable prognostic indicator (14)(15)(16).…”

A new human breast cancer cell line, KPL-1 secretes tumour-associated antigens and grows rapidly in female athymic nude mice

“…TPA has been used as a serum tumour marker for monitoring the clinical course of patients with breast cancer (Nemoto et al, 1979;Mross and Bandlow, 1986;Gion et al, 1990a). Furthermore, cytosolic TPA in patients with breast cancer has recently been suggested to be of prognostic importance (Gion et al, 1990b). To investigate the kinetics of tumour-associated antigens, the secretion of TPA and CA 15-3 (Kufe et al, 1984;Hayes et al, 1986;Abe and Kufe, 1987) was measured through cell growth phases in this cell line.…”