EXPRESSION OF A-BLOOD-GROUP, B-BLOOD-GROUP, AND H-BLOOD-GROUP ANTIGENS IN EPITHELIAL OVARIAN-CANCER - RELATIONSHIP TO TUMOR GRADE AND PATIENT SURVIVAL

The expression of A, B, and H blood group antigens in epithelial ovari an cancer was evaluated in 137 patients with advanced disease by stain ing frozen sections with specific monoclonal antibodies using an indir ect immunoperoxidase method, Expression of blood group antigens was ob served in a proportion of ovarian carcinomas and in some areas of ovar ian surface epithelium. Forty-eight percent of the tumors tested from 130 blood group A, B, or O individuals showed no expression of the app ropriate blood group antigen, 32% had heterogeneous antigen expression , and 20% had strong expression. In the 7 blood group AB patients stud ied, no expression, heterogeneous expression of both antigens, or abse nce of one, but not the other antigen, was observed. No tumor showed A , B, or H antigen expression that was not compatible with the patient' s blood group type. Histologic Grade 3 tumors showed absence of blood group antigen expression more often than did Grade 2 tumors. The prese nce or absence of A, B, or H antigen expression did not correlate with survival in this group of patients. This is in contrast to studies in other epithelial tumor types in which the normal epithelium synthesiz es blood group antigens and loss of ABH antigen expression is observed in the corresponding tumors. (C) 1996 Academic Press, Inc.