Evaluation of seven tumour markers in pleural fluid for the diagnosis of malignant effusions.

Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), carbohydrate antigens 15-3, 19-9 and 72-4 (CA 15-3, CA 19-9 and CA 72-4), cytokeratin 19 fragments (CYFRA 21-1), neuron-specific enolase (NSE) and squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC) were evaluated in pleural fluid for the diagnosis of malignant effusions. With a specificity of 99%, determined in a series of 121 benign effusions, the best individual diagnostic sensitivities in the whole series of 215 malignant effusions or in the subgroup of adenocarcinomas were observed with CEA, CA 15-3 and CA 72-4. As expected, a high sensitivity was obtained with SCC in squamous cell carcinomas and with NSE in small-cell lung carcinomas.

Evaluation of pleural CYFRA 21-1 and carcinoembryonic antigen in the diagnosis of malignant pleural effusions.

CYFRA 21-1 assay, measuring cytokeratin 19 fragments, was compared with carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) assay, as an addition to cytological analysis for the diagnosis of malignant effusions. Both markers were determined with commercial enzyme immunoassays in pleural fluid from 196 patients. Cytological analysis and/or pleural biopsy confirmed the malignant origin of the effusion in 99 patients (76 carcinomas, nine pleural mesotheliomas and 14 non-epithelial malignancies).

[Comparative study of the expression of CEA and a myelomonocytic antigen (CD15) in serous effusions using two monoclonal antibodies NEO 723 and Leu M1].

A comparative study of the reactivity of two monoclonal antibodies (MAb), NEO 723 (anti-CEA) and Leu M1 (CD15) was performed by immunocytochemistry on sixty five reactive effusions and sixty two neoplastic effusions, fifty eight due to metastases from carcinomas, two due to disseminations of sarcoma and two due to malignant mesotheliomas. The study of the expected reactivity of NEO 723 and the cross-reactivity of Leu M1 on exfoliated neoplastic cells in effusion fluids showed that the sensitivity of NEO 723 was superior to that of Leu M1 for the detection of carcinomatous metastases, as 78% reacted with NEO 723 versus 38% with Leu M1. Among the positive cases, the mean number of reactive cells was twice as high with NEO 723, while only three of the carcinomas no expressing CEA reacted with Leu M1.

Immunophenotyping of mesothelial cells and carcinoma cells with monoclonal antibodies to cytokeratins, vimentin, CEA and EMA improves the cytodiagnosis of serous effusions.

This paper presents an immunocytochemical study performed on cytocentrifuged deposits from 109 peritoneal and pleural effusions including 20 transudates, 43 malignant metastatic effusions and 46 effusions containing atypical cells, unidentifiable as reactive mesothelial or malignant epithelial cells on the classical morphological criteria. A panel of four monoclonal antibodies (MAb) was used, including KL1 directed to cytokeratins (KER), V9 to vimentin (VIM), NEO 723 to carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and E29 to epithelial membrane antigen (EMA). In most transudates the reactive mesothelial cells coexpressed VIM and KER with a ring-like pattern for the latter proteins.

[Virus diseases and cancer of the vulva].

The study of cancers of the vulva, first of all, attempts to classify precancerous lesions of the external genital apparatus. The proceedings of the ISSVD were carried out here in 1975. Clinical, epidemiological and viral arguments of HPV and HSV have been considered in order to demonstrate their responsibility in neoplasms of the vulva.