This study, which is part of a larger immunohistochemical investigation of
blood-group antigens in non-neoplastic urothelium and
bladder cancer, reports our findings on the expression of an
antigen related to the
cryptic Thomsen-Friedenreich antigen (beta
Gal 1-3 GalNAc) of erythrocytes. De-waxed sections of 19 ureters and of 93 transitional cell tumours, either untreated or pretreated with
neuraminidase, were subjected to an indirect immunoperoxidase staining, employing the
monoclonal antibody 49H.8. Staining results were compared to Lewis-secretor types, morphology, and in tumours to the
clinical course as regards recurrence rate and the development of either stroma invasive recurrence or
papillomatosis as well. Ureters not subjected to
neuraminidase were unstained, whereas urothelium in 12 of 19 ureters subjected to
neuraminidase showed staining. Serial dilution of antibody disclosed quantitative differences related to the Lewis-secretor types. Lea+b- urothelium, i.e., non-secretor urothelium, had the highest end-point titers. Endothelium was unstained. Thirty-six of the 93 tumours showed staining without prior
neuraminidase treatment, 31 showed staining after
neuraminidase treatment only, while 26 were unstained. Staining correlated with the pathological stage and grade (p less than 0.05), but not with the
clinical course (p greater than 0.05). The results do not support previous observations on the prognostic value of
Thomsen-Friedenreich antigen determination in superficial
bladder cancer.