Ovarian tumor antigens.

Increasing knowledge of tumor immunology and particularly of tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) has great potential in the diagnosis of and therapy for ovarian cancer. The use of hybridoma-produced monoclonal antibodies is likely to improve the specificity of radioimmunoassay and thereby aid laboratories in the identification of additional TAAs. Over a dozen TAAs are useful in the diagnosis and follow-up of ovarian cancer, and more have been described recently, although none are currently of value for screening. Cure of a mouse ovarian cancer has been reported with the use of antibodies to TAAs. Preliminary studies utilizing injection of heterologous antibodies to TAAs in women with ovarian cancer are already under way. The minimal toxicity encountered thus far suggests that this method may be a viable therapeutic modality in the future.