ABH cell surface isoantigens in invasive bladder carcinoma associated with schistosomiasis

The immunoperoxidase technique for demonstrating blood group ABH isoantigens was used to compare 33 patients with invasive stages T2 and T3 bladder carcinoma with (18) and without (15) schistosomiasis. Of the 18 patients with schistosomiasis 11 (61 per cent) had cell surface antigens present (9 with squamous cell carcinoma and 2 with transitional cell carcinoma and areas of squamous metaplasia), while isoantigens were absent in the remaining 7 (1 with well differentiated squamous cell, 2 with moderately to poorly differentiated squamous cell and 4 with transitional cell carcinoma). Cell surface isoantigens were present in only 3 of the 15 patients (20 per cent) without schistosomiasis (2 with squamous cell and 1 with transitional cell carcinoma) and absent in the remaining 12 with transitional cell carcinoma. This preliminary study shows that a significant percentage of patients with schistosomiasis-associated invasive bladder carcinoma maintain the blood group isoantigens, in contrast to those with bladder carcinoma not associated with schistosomiasis. The better prognosis of schistosomiasis-associated carcinoma could be linked conceivably to isoantigen maintenance. If this speculation is supported by further studies the determination of blood group isoantigens in these patients would be of prognostic value.