Identification of beta-oncofetal antigen in cervical squamous cancer and its demonstration in neoplastic and normal tissues.

An extract of a human cervical squamous carcinoma was used to produce rabbit antiserum with immunoreactivity against an antigen in several types of normal and neoplastic tissues. This antigen was abundant in cervical cancer as well as in normal adult and fetal kidney and liver. The antigen had a beta mobility in immunoelectrophoresis and a molecular weight range of 74, 000 to 90,000 as determined by gel chromatography. Since some of its properties were similar to those of the beta-oncofetal antigen described by Fritsche and Mach, a comparison was undertaken that indeed revealed identical immunoreactivity of the anti-beta-oncofetal antigen and anti-cervical cancer antisera when reacted in immunodiffusion against a cervical cancer extract. These results do not support the designation of this antigen as an oncofetal antigen.