[A study of the T-antigen in ovarian tumor]

By means of the avidin-biotin-peroxidase complex (ABC) method with peanut lectin (PNA, Arachis hypogaea), the role of T-antigen in the human ovarian tumor was investigated and the following results were obtained. 1) Among benign tumors, 76.9% cases were T-antigen negative and cryptic T-antigen positive. 2) Among malignant ovarian tumors, 55.2% cases were T-antigen positive and 20.7% cases were negative for both T-antigen and cryptic T-antigen. 3) In malignant ovarian tumors, the lower the tissue differentiation degree, the greater the increase in the ratios of the T-antigen positive and negative and the cryptic T-antigen negative cases. 4) Among the malignant cases with metastases, 81.8% were T-antigen positive. In view of the above results, it was considered that the cases of tissue T-antigen negative and cryptic T-antigen positive were mostly benign while the T-antigen positive or both the T-antigen and cryptic T-antigen negative cases were liable to be malignant. T-antigen in ovarian tumor may be valuable as an index of malignancy.