Monoclonal antibodies, benign breast disease, and breast cancer. A panel discussion.

Hybridoma technology has now advanced to the point where hundreds of monoclonal antibodies have been produced and are reported to bind to normal and malignant cell surfaces or intracellular organelles. The original hope for tumor-specific antigens has not materialized, but certain antibodies with rather restricted ranges of binding activities have been identified. This panel discusses the use of such monoclonal antibodies in diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of human breast disease and breast cancer.