Factor VIII-related antigen in malignant mesotheliomas

Our plain-English summary of Factor VIII-related antigen in malignant mesotheliomas, by A.J. Balaton (Histopathology, 1985).

The study

• Author: A.J. Balaton
• Journal: Histopathology
• Published: 1985;9(6):673-4
• Type of article: Letter
• Cited by: 2 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

In plain English

This is a letter to the editor, not a research study. The author was responding to a September 1984 paper in the same journal by Loosli and Hurlimann, which had reported finding factor VIII-related antigen in malignant mesothelioma tissue. The author argued that those results should be interpreted with caution. According to the author, most commercial antisera to this antigen were made for less sensitive laboratory tests and could contain antibodies to other proteins, such as fibronectin. The author reported having repeatedly seen some plasma cells stain positive with the Dakopatts antiserum. The author also said that Loosli and Hurlimann had been wrong to state that an earlier paper showed the antigen in normal mesothelial cells. The author and others had noted malignant mesothelial cells that were positive for fibronectin. The author asked whether the staining Loosli and Hurlimann reported could come from contaminating anti-fibronectin antibodies. The author concluded that, without more rigorous testing using proven specific antisera or monoclonal antibodies, the antigen's presence in malignant mesotheliomas remained questionable. The letter did not discuss asbestos.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: letter to the editor (correspondence) commenting on a previously published study
• Who was studied: No patients or tissues were studied for this letter. It comments on Loosli and Hurlimann's 1984 immunohistological study of malignant mesothelioma published in Histopathology.
• Exposure: No asbestos or other exposure is discussed. The subject is the staining of malignant mesothelioma tissue with antibodies to factor VIII-related antigen.
• Main results:
  • The author reported repeatedly seeing positive staining of some plasma cells when using the Dakopatts anti-factor VIII-related antigen antiserum.
  • The author stated that Loosli and Hurlimann were wrong to say that Ernst and Brooks (1981) had shown factor VIII-related antigen in normal mesothelial cells.
  • The author and others had noted malignant mesothelial cells positive for fibronectin. The author asked whether the positive reaction in Loosli and Hurlimann's study could be due to contaminating anti-fibronectin antibodies.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors' view (here, the single author's) was that Loosli and Hurlimann's results should be interpreted with caution. Without more rigorous testing using monospecific proven antisera or monoclonal antibodies, the presence of factor VIII-related antigen in malignant mesotheliomas remained questionable.

Topics

The National Library of Medicine indexes this study under subjects our site covers: Mesothelioma.

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Malignant Mesothelioma.

Related studies

• Immunoperoxidase localization of keratin proteins, carcinoembryonic antigen, and factor VIII in adenomatoid tumors: evidence for a mesothelial derivation — J.W. Said, G. Nash, et al. (1982)
• Practical utility of insulin-like growth factor II mRNA-binding protein 3, glucose transporter 1, and epithelial membrane antigen for distinguishing malignant mesotheliomas from benign mesothelial proliferations — S. Chang, M.H. Oh, et al. (2014)
• The value of anticarcinoembryonic antigen, human milk factor globulin, and antikeratin antibodies in differentiating mesothelioma from lung carcinoma — V.M. Joglekar, D. Oliver, et al. (1991)
• Tissue distribution of a coelomic-epithelium-related antigen recognized by the monoclonal antibody OC125 — S.E. Kabawat, R.C. Bast, et al. (1983)
• Differential reactivities of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and CEA-related monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies in common epithelial malignancies — K. Sheahan, M.J. O'Brien, et al. (1990)
• The histocompatibility antigen in asbestos related disease — N. Al Jarad, S. Uthayakumar, et al. (1992)

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