Cancer mucins

Clinical correlation studies between CA 27.29 levels and CA 15-3 levels typically yield correlation coefficients of >0.95. It has been suggested that the epitope mapping studies reflect that the CA 27.29 antigen is essentially the same breast cancer-associated mucinous antigen detected by the two methods. 

CA 125 is a mucin-like glycoprotein antigenic determinant expressed on the surface of coelomic epithelium and human ovarian carcinoma cells however, it does not appear to be specific for ovarian cancer because elevated levels have been reported in breast and colorectal cancers. Studies have shown increased CA 125 levels in patients with ovarian cancer, whereas decreased CA 125 levels in chemotherapy are associated with improved possibility for survival. Some studies have shown failure of CA 125 levels to return to normal after chemotherapy, indicating... 

Belley, A., Keller, K., Grove, J. and Chadee, K. (1996) Interaction of LS174T human colon cancer cell mucins with Entamoeba histolytica an in vitro model for colonic disease. Gastroenterology 111, 1484—1492. 

J. C. Byrd and R. S. Bresalier, Mucins and mucin binding proteins in colorectal cancer, Cancer Metastasis Rev., 23 (2004) 77-99. 

L Borsig, R Wong, J Feramisco, DR Nadeau, NM Varki, A Varki. Heparin and cancer revisited mechanistic connections involving platelets, P-selectin, carcinoma mucins, and tumor metastasis. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 98 3352-3357, 2001. 

Mucin-like cancer-associated antigens (MCA). MCA findings in CSF are denoted as a marker of metastatic breast cancer. 

MuCl (cancer-associated mucin) SdAb (singledomain antibody, or diabody) Tobacco Anticancer therapy... 

Vaccines generally used sialylated (s)Tn, which are mucin epitopes expressed on epithelial tumors, conjugated with KLH. This vaccine was commercialized as Theratope (Biomira Inc., Edmonton, Canada). In a phase I study O Boyle et al. [199] injected the vaccine to colorectal cancer patients. Toxicity was only local, and an antibody response was observed. 

On the other hand, a randomized trial with breast, ovarian and colorectal cancer patients, showed an increase in the antibody response by cyclophosphamide. This antibody response was correlated with increased survival, when antibody levels to mucins were low before immunotherapy. The beneficial role of this response might be due to a blockage of immunosuppressive mucins [205-207],... 

In another study involving patients with metastatic breast, colorectal and ovarian cancer, increased anti-sTn titers were correlated with better survival. Even if before treatment, elevated titers of antibodies against the mucin MUC1, were correlated with a poor response to immunotherapy, CTL precursors to the MUC1 were detected in carcinoma patients [208], A vaccine using 10 pg/ml MUC1-KLH mixed with Detox was injected s.c. in breast cancer patients treated with cyclophosphamide. A weak antibody response, and an ex vivo CTL response against HLA-matched adenocarcinoma cell lines were seen. No correlation with the clinical outcome was available [209],... 

Federici, M. F., Kudryashov, V., Saigo, P. E., Finstad, C. L., and Llyod, K. O. 1999. Selection of carbohydrate antigens in human epithelial ovarian cancers as targets for immunotherapy Serous and mucinous tumor exhibit distinctive patterns of expression. Int. J. Cancer 87 193-198. 

Qmtoft, T. F., Harving, N., and Langkilde, N. C. 1990. O-linked mucin-type glycoproteins in normal and malignant colon mucosa Lack of T-antigen expression and accumulation of Tn and sialo-syl-Tn antigens in carcinomas. Int. J. Cancer 45 666-672. 

Osaka, M., Yonezawa, S., Siddiki, B., et al. 1993. Immunohistochemical study of mucin carbohydrates and core protein in human pancreatic tumors. Cancer 71 2191-2199. 

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