An Immunohistochemical Study of Colon-ovarian Tumor Antigen and Colon-specific Antigen in Gynecologic Tumors

The distribution of colon--ovarian tumor antigen (COTA) and colon-specific antigen (CSA) was studied immunohistochemically in gynecologic tumors. The antigens were absent in the serous benign tumors of the ovary and in the normal ovarian tissues, whereas they were detected in some of the mucinous benign tumors. COTA and CSA were present and similarly distributed in most malignant epithelial tumors of the ovary, with their expression increasing with malignancy. Both antigens were almost completely absent in normal glands of the endometrium, but were expressed in many of the endometrial adenocarcinomas. Adenocarcinomas of the cervix were strongly positive for both antigens, and they were also detected in some of the normal cervical glands. However, no relationship was found between the expression of the two antigens and that of argyrophilia, an intestinal metaplasia.