Reactivity of monoclonal anti-melanoma antibodies with melanoma cells freshly isolated from primary and metastatic melanoma.

Human melanoma cells, freshly obtained from nine primary and metastatic melanoma cases, were tested for binding of monoclonal anti-melanoma antibodies produced in vitro by hybridoma clones. Monoclonal anti-melanoma antibodies bind to melanoma cells but do not react with nonmalignant cells obtained from the same patients or with cells obtained from giant hairy nevus. These results confirm the existence of tumor-specific antigens. Binding of monoclonal antibodies to melanoma cells of several origins, primary or metastatic, from different patients suggests the existence of tumor antigens shared by human melanoma cells. The binding pattern of different antibodies to various cells also predicts the existence of more than one tumor-specific antigenic determinant on melanoma cells.