Differences in clinical significance of blood group antigens A, B, and H in carcinoma tissue in the uterine cervix.
The losses of blood group antigens A, B, and H in carcinoma tissue of the uterine cervix were studied by the avidin-biotin-peroxidase complex (ABC) method and the relations of these losses to invasion and dedifferentiation of primary cancer were examined. The incidence of cases showing complete loss of A or B antigen increased in proportion to the progression of cancer, but in most cases even of invasive cancer, H antigen, the precursor of A and B antigens, was detected. Complete loss of H antigen was not demonstrated in well-differentiated keratinizing invasive carcinomas, but was seen in 15% (15/101) of the cases of large cell non-keratinizing type cancer and 50% (8/16) of those of small cell non-keratinizing type cancer. No relationship was found between losses of A, B, and H antigens and parametrial spread of carcinoma or metastasis to the pelvic lymph nodes, but the incidence of death within 2 years after hysterectomy was higher in H antigen-negative cases than in H antigen-positive cases. These results indicate that loss of A and B antigens depends on some activity of invasion of cancer, while loss of H antigen strongly indicates dedifferentiation of cancer cells and also may indicate a poor prognosis.