Circulating antibodies in patients with ovarian carcinoma

Sera from 91 patients with ovarian malignancy were examined by the indirect and the complement fixation fluorescent antibody techniques for the presence of antibodies to ovarian carcinoma antigens using cryostat sections of four ovarian carcinomas as substrates. Four sera stained the cytoplasm of ovarian carcinoma cells, but three of these also reacted with mitochondria and the fourth with microsomes at the same or at higher titers. The staining of ovarian carcinoma by these four sera was abolished by absorption with purified rat liver mitochondria or microsomes, respectively. Thus, no ovarian carcinoma-specific antibodies were demonstrable by the fluorescent antibody technique. The overall incidence of non-organ-specific autoantibodies was increased in patients with ovarian carcinoma.