Tumor-specific accumulation of 125I-labeled mouse-human chimeric anti-CEA antibody in a xenografted human cancer model demonstrated by whole-body autoradiography and immunostaining.

Whole-body autoradiography (WBAR) was used to study the biodistribution of 125I-labeled mouse-human chimeric antibody (Ch F11-39) to carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) in athymic nude mice bearing the CEA-producing MKN-45 human gastric carcinoma xenografts. Significantly high uptake of 125I-Ch F11-39 in the tumors obtained by tissue-counting technique was confirmed by WBAR of mice of 12, 24, 48, and 96 h postinjection of 125I-Ch F11-39. When compared with histochemical or immunohistochemical staining results of the tumor tissue sections, imaging profiles of 125I-Ch F11-39 obtained by WBARs were topographically correlated with histopathological findings of tissues and immunohistochemical localization of CEA in the tumor tissues, indicating that the accumulation of 125I-Ch F11-39 at the tumor site is based on its specificity for CEA. These results demonstrate that this chimeric antibody may serve as a potential useful diagnostic and/or therapeutic reagent for human CEA-producing cancers.