THE DIAGNOSTIC-VALUE AND THERAPEUTIC PERSPECTIVES OF MONOCLONAL-ANTIBODIES IN BRONCHOPULMONARY CANCER

Monoclonal antibodies (AcM) have opened up new perspectives in the study of cancer. The production of murine AcM has been well described in the past. The characterisation of the antigen which they recognise and their in vitro and in vivo biological properties has led to their use in diagnosis and in due course to therapeutic possibilities. The specificity of AcM << vis a vis >> certain molecules or tumour associated antigens enables their utilisation for diagnosis and their widespread use for the labelling of tumour markers. AcM may in difficult cases be more accurate in specifying the histological type of a bronchopulmonary or pleural tumour; by coupling the antibody to a radio isotope and injecting it into the circulation. This enables the detection of tumours in vivo by immunoscintigraphy. The numerous problems linked to the technique and above to biology of AcM limits its clinical value in assessing the degree of extension either locally or regionally of bronchopulmonary tumours. The therapeutic applications are at this stage experimental and above all studies have shown the limits of AcM used alone or coupled to a radio isotope, a toxin or a drug. The limits of the technique are linked to numerous factors, such as accessibility of the antigen site, the heterogeneity of tumour markers and non specific fixation and immunogenicity of the AcM. The experimental clinical stage should be continued in order to define the most effective utilisation of AcM in therapy which will doubtless be complementary to other forms of treatment.