Sensitization to sperm in prostatic disease: Further evaluation of the incidence of antibodies to spermatozoa and their disease-associated specificity

Initial investigation demonstrated antisperm antibodies (ASA) in patients (pts) with benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) and cancer of the prostate (CaP). The occurrence of ASA under a variety of normal and pathological circumstances was confirmed and extended, including delineation of their possible disease-associated specificity. As countercurrent immunoelectrophoresis (CIEP) employing sonicated allogeneic Sp extracts appeared most efficient for evaluation of ASA, CIEP was employed. The incidence (%) of ASA by CIEP among the following categories and numbers of pts was: BHP 16 (38%) of 42; CaP 17 (61%) of 28; Ca other than prostate 4 (22%) of 18 (6 bladder; 2 cervix, lung and skin and 1 brain, breast, colon, endometrium, nasopharynx and rectum); mixed connective tissue disease 0 of 27; pediatric pts with recurrent URI 0 of 11 and 2 (7%) of 28 healthy adults. Whilst ubiquitous, the continuing presence of ASA in BPH and CaP with a combined incidence in this study of 47% (33 of 70) vs 7% (6 of 84) in the absence of prostatic disease remains provocative in view of the hypothesized role of Sp in the development of BPH and CaP. However, the presence of ASA in pts with genitourinary (GU) neoplasms other than prostate, raises doubt as to their specificity. Germ cells expressing embryonic differentiation antigens are cross-reactive with some neoplastic cells. Among other possible explanations, ASA may more realistically be viewed as being reflective of a host response (marker?) to aberrant GU cellular alterations.