In an attempt to develop
measures for
early diagnosis and
prognosis of the
disease and to explore
association of murine mammary tumour
virus (MuMTV) or related
virus in
breast cancer, we purified a
breast tumour associated
antigen (BTAA) from the
breast tumour
tissues of untreated
female cancer patients. The BTAA purified by DEAE discontinuous column
chromatography followed by SE-
HPLC was an 85 kDa
glycoprotein. A high level of circulating
antibodies against this
antigen was observed, using
ELISA, in all the untreated
female breast cancer patients. The BTAA was not immunologically related to MuMTV
antigens but strongly resembled an 83 kDa
glycoprotein tumour associated
antigen, purified from MuMTV induced
mouse mammary tumour. In
patients after surgical removal of the
breast tumour, the circulating
antibodies to the BTAA decreased gradually, but reappeared in the
patients with
secondary metastasis. In healthy age matched
women or in
female patients with
carcinoma of
tissues other than
breast, no significant titre of the BTAA
antibodies was observed.