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We investigated the clinical significance of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) antigen determined by radioimmunoassay on patients with uroepithelial carcinoma. Serum SCC antigen levels and the positive rates were significantly higher in uroepithelial carcinoma having an SCC component than in normal controls, benign urologic diseases, other urogenital carcinomas, or in pure transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) of uroepithelial carcinomas. A substantial number of patients with pure TCC showed a positive serum level of SCC antigen. Immunohistochemical staining of SCC antigen on the uroepithelial carcinomas confirmed that some, not all, pure TCC, mostly grade 3, expressed SCC antigen in their cells. These results suggested a biologic characteristic of grade 3 TCC which is closely related to that of SCC. The serum levels of SCC antigen correlated well with the disease extensions in uroepithelial carcinoma containing SCC component. Changes in serum levels of SCC antigen following treatment reflected the clinical courses of patients, particularly in those with elevated pretreatment levels. The results of our study indicated that the determination of SCC antigen would be clinically useful for monitoring clinical courses of patients with uroepithelial carcinomas containing SCC component and of those with pure TCC whose pretreatment level was elevated.

The bioassay using the polythemic mice demonstrated persistent erythropoietin (Ep) activity in 24 renal carcinoma patients. Eight patients without clinical evidence of renal carcinoma had Ep levels that were slightly higher than those of controls, suggesting the possibility of occult disease. Increased levels of Ep were noted in 5 patients with other genitourinary carcinomas. This selective study reaffirms the value of Ep as a biologic marker in some renal cell cancers, and occasionally in other genitourinary tumors.

The serum levels of transferrin, haptoglobin, C3 proactivator, plasminogen and alpha 2-macroglobulin have been measured in patients suffering from urogenital cancer. In this randomized study, we found a frequent decrease of transferrin coinciding with the elevation of C3-proactivator and haptoglobin. The serum concentration of plasminogen and alpha 2-macroglobulin were rarely observed in the pathological range excluding cancer-associated changes. Tumor metabolites and/or the circulating immune complex may account for the alteration of transferrin, haptoglobin and C3-proactivator, more than primary cancer-related synthesis of these proteins.