[Tissue polypeptide and carcinoembryonic antigens in patients with breast cancer].

Tissue polypeptide antigen (TPA) and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) were studied radioimmunologically in 112 patients with breast cancer. 39 healthy females and 13 patients with mastopathy were in control. In cases of incipient and localized forms of breast cancer, mean levels of CEA and TPA did not differ from those in controls despite the direct correlation between the number of patients with elevated concentrations of both antigens and stage of the disease. In cases of local dissemination of tumor, CEA concentration was 3 times and in patients with distant metastases-5 times that in control. TPA level was found to rise at a slower rate in the same patients as tumor process advanced. It was shown that radioimmunological tests for CEA and TPA provide an efficient means of evaluating breast cancer expansion thanks to its low threshold of sensitivity in identifying early cancer. A direct correlation between CEA and TPA levels was established.