The Use of Monoclonal Antibodies in the Search for Tumor-Specific Antigens

Since the introduction of hybridoma technology in 1975 [1], there has been a rapid expansion in the field of tumor immunology, particularly in the search for alleged tumor-associated antigens. The discovery of candidate antigens associated with induced neoplasms in animal models initiated the search for similar determinants occurring in human tumors [2]. By definition, such an antigen (or marker) would be present only on the malignant cells of interest. This specificity, residing in a particular malignancy, would be absent from other types of tumors and from all normal adult and fetal tissues. To data, no such tumor-specific marker has ever been found.