Differentiation of antigenic gastric cancer sulphopolysaccharides from metaplastic 'intestinal' type sulphopolysaccharides.

Sulphopolysaccharides, isolated from gastric juice of patients with pernicious anemia or gastric cancer, have been characterized immunologically using corresponding rabbit immunosera. Gastric juice sulphopolysaccharides differ from their normal form in the following conditions: a) when there is intestinal type metaplastic tissue in the gastric epithelium; b) in the presence of gastric cancer. Efforts to differentiate between these types by the absorption technique using rabbit immunosera were successful, and it was possible to demonstrate an antigenic determinant in sulphopolysaccharides from cancerous gastric juice not present in controls with benign intestinal type heterotopia as in pernicious anemia.