Monoclonal Antibodies Against Cell Surface Antigens of Human Prostate Carcinoma

Abstract

In the past decade monoclonal antibody technique has been found to be a useful tool in the detection of new tumor-associated antigens on various tumor types. Monoclonal antibodies directed against such tumor-associated antigens have already been used to study their value in the immunodetection and immunotherapy of various tumors in animals and in man (Baldwin et al. 1982; Chatal et al. 1984; Mach et al. 1983; Moldofsky et al. 1983; Sears et al. 1984). In prostate cancer the monoclonal antibody technique has also been applied for the detection of new prostate-cancer associated antigens. Several new antigenic structures of prostate cancer could be demonstrated by monoclonal antibodies. The clinical importance of these antigens for immunotherapy or immunodetection depends on the restriction of these structures to only prostate cancer cells. A tissue specific prostate marker, however, could also be used in the immunodetection of metastases or immunotherapy. For immunotherapy and in vivo immunodetection only the detection of a tumor associated membrane antigen is necessary. The currently available tumor markers, the prostate specific acid phosphatase (PAP) and the prostate specific antigen (PSA), however, are intracellular structures. Therefore, the search for new prostate cancer or prostate tissue associated membrane antigens is necessary to achieve progress in immunodiagnosis and immunotherapy of prostate cancer by the use of monoclonal antibodies.