Antibodies to the herpes simplex virus type-2-induced tumor-associated antigen AG-4 as markers of recurrence in cervical cancer.

This study was designed to evaluate the potential clinical value of AG-4 antibodies in patients with established cervical cancer, in terms of the assessment of prognosis before treatment, and monitoring the course of the cancer process during long-term follow-up. Forty-seven patients were investigated during a median follow-up time of 5.4 years (range 3.5-6.2). During this time, 25 developed recurrent disease. Serum was obtained from all patients before treatment and at regular intervals during follow-up and assayed for antibodies to AG-4. The presence of AG-4 antibodies during follow-up was associated with recurrent disease (p less than 0.001). In most cases the presence of AG-4 antibodies preceded the clinical diagnosis of recurrence, with particularly long lead times in the late recurrences. Serial determinations of AG-4 antibodies in patients with invasive cervical cancer may be of clinical value for monitoring the course of the disease during follow-up, thus allowing for earlier application of treatment.