Anti-lea as an autoantibody in the serum of le(a - b+) individual

The first example of anti-Lea, as an autoantibody, in the serum of a phenotypically Le(a-b+) individual is described. The patient is a 55 year old male with squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus. His saliva contains Lea, Leb and H substances, and inhibits the hemagglutinating activity of his serum anti-Lea. The Leb antigen content of his red blood cells is approximately half that of control Le(a-b+) red blood cells. The patient's disease process may be responsible for the development of this unexpected autoantibody.