[Studies on multiple mucosal biopsy in patients with bladder cancer. 4. Evaluation of Thomsen-Friedenreich antigen in multiple mucosal biopsy and transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder].

The significance of Thomsen-Friedenreich antigen (T-Ag) in bladder carcinomas and multiple mucosal biopsies was studied. The T-antigen, a precursor of MN blood group antigen, is not found in normal cells, in which T-antigen is cryptic (cryptic T-Ag) but can be unmasked with neuraminidase digestion. Specimens of 27 main tumors and 201 mucosal biopsies from 28 patients with carcinoma in situ or microinvasion of carcinoma in situ were examined for the expression of T-antigen by Avidin-Biotin-Peroxidase Complex (ABC) method with peanut agglutinin (PNA). The T-Ag-positive rate was 22% for G2 tumors, 56% for G3 tumors, while cryptic T-Ag-positive rate was 86% for G2 tumors and 50% for G3 tumors. The correlation between T-antigen, cryptic T-antigen and histologic grade was not statistically significant. The T-Ag-positive rate in mucosal biopsies was 43% in microinvasion of carcinoma in situ, 11% in carcinoma in situ, 17% in transitional cell carcinoma, 8% in dysplasia, 33% in squamous metaplasia, 33% in proliferative cystitis and 13% in normal epithelium. Of histological findings, microinvasion of carcinoma in situ showed a significantly higher T-Ag-positive rate than carcinoma in situ and normal epithelium (P less than 0.005, P less than 0.001). The cryptic T-Ag-positive rate in mucosal biopsies was 38% in microinvasion of carcinoma in situ, 74% in carcinoma in situ, 100% in transitional cell carcinoma, 82% in dysplasia, 100% in squamous metaplasia, 100% in proliferative cystitis and 96% in normal epithelium. Of the histological findings, carcinoma in situ, proliferactive cystitis and normal epithelium showed a significantly higher cryptic T-Ag-positive rate than microinvasion of carcinoma in situ (P less than 0.025, P less than 0.05, P less than 0.001). Microinvasion of carcinoma in situ expressed the T-Ag (43%), the cryptic T-Ag (21%) and lacked the cryptic T-Ag (36%). Microinvasion of carcinoma in situ showed statistically significant difference in the mode of T-Ag and cryptic T-Ag expression than other histological types in mucosal biopsies, including carcinoma in situ (P less than 0.001).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)