Some immunobiochemical approaches for the detection of metastases

Numerous studies in man have shown that the assay of tumour markers in the blood and urine seldom yields sufficient forewarning of the development of metastatic disease. Accordingly, alternative approaches have been sought for their earlier detection. The deployment of immunological probes, both in vivo in the form of radioimmunolocalisation and in vitro using immunocytochemical methods at a histological level, is under active study. At present the latter method appears capable of detecting micrometastases in the bone marrow in subjects with breast cancer.