Detection of malignant ovarian neoplasms: a review of the literature. III. Immunological detection and ovarian cancer-associated antigens.

In summarizing the data on characterization of the immune system in the ovarian cancer patient, it is possible to conclude that both cellular and humoral immune responses occur in the presence of ovarian cancer. However, the specificity of such reactions is less certain. Although most of the tests outlined above are of doubtful utility in cancer immunodetection, data obtained from some studies support the assumption that there exist epithelial ovarian cancer-associated antigens which are expressed in tumors arising in different individuals, and that these antigens are the target of an immune response in many patients. It is unclear, however, how widely distributed such antigens are among normal tissues and other neoplasms. Direct characterization of ovarian cancer-associated antigens may provide more well-defined test antigens with which to assay individuals for a specific immune response. An immune response to specific cancer-associated antigens could precede the appearance of detectable levels of such antigens in the circulation.