Immunohistochemical localization of human lung adenocarcinoma-associated antigen with a monoclonal antibody

The monoclonal antibody, 5C7, reacted immunohistochemically with 62 out of bronchial cells of normal lung tissue, adjacent to neoplastic lesions, were negative for lung adenocarcinoma-associated antigen. Reactions with the antibody were observed in half the cases of squamous cell lung cancer, but were only sporadic. The antibody appears to react with an antigen which is either restricted to malignant cells or is at least greatly amplified in expression by malignant cells compared to normal human tissues. The major value of this monoclonal antibody at present is in classifying lung cancers as either adenocarcinoma or non-adenocarcinoma.