The Tennessee antigen test. An evaluation in cancer and non-cancer patients and normal subjects.

The Tennagen test has been evaluated in "normal" subjects, patients with cancer (predominantly colorectal) and patients with non-malignant disease. The incidence of positive values was found to be higher in patients with clinically active cancer than in those with benign conditions or normal subjects. In our hands the test fell far short of the 90% reliability previously claimed. This may be partly due to an underestimate of the upper normal limit in earlier studies. A small series of follow-up studies after resection for colorectal cancer have so far failed to reveal any advantage to be gained by Tennagen tests over existing methods, but these studied will be continued.