| Abstract
| - Nonspecific cross-reacting antigen (NCA), which strongly cross-reacts with carcinoembryonic antigen, was demonstrated to be an autoantigen. Antibodies directed against NCA were shown in different groups of patients, but high titers (>1/64) were found only in cancer patients. A correlation between tumor mass, antigen load, and antibody titer apparently existed. Sera obtained from patients preoperatively and postoperatively differed significantly (P>0.01) in the sense that titers were high only in sera sampled after the patients were treated. Nevertheless, the formation of these antibodies cannot be considered a cancer-specific phenomenon because of their existence also in patients with nonmalignant disease.
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