T-antigens in primary non-invasive and superficially invasive human urinary bladder tumors: the correlation to tumor recurrence and tumor progression. A mini-review.

As cellular carbohydrate structures are involved in multiple cellular functions, alterations in these structures have been studied in an effort to find markers and predictors of the clinical course of disease in human cancers. Special interest has been given to recurrence and progression of cancer disease. At present no such marker or predictor exists for the prediction of recurrence and progression of initially non-invasive (Ta) or superficially invasive (T1) human urinary bladder tumors. Over the years the T- (Thomsen-Friedenreich) antigen (the disaccharide Gal beta(1-3)GalNAc alpha(1-O)-R) has been investigated for its possible role as such a marker. An overview is given. It is concluded that there is a general, but not an individual correlation between T-antigen expression and recurrence or progression of initially non- or superficially invasive human bladder tumors.