[Distribution and diagnostic role of COTA in mucinous ovarian tumors].

The localization and diagnostic value of colon-ovarian tumor antigen (COTA) were studied by immunohistochemical S-P method. COTA was found in all 18 cases of mucinous ovarian cystadenocarcinoma (100%) and 3 border line cystadenomas (100%). Yet in 18 cases of ovarian benign mucinous cystadenoma, only 3 were positive (16.6%). These results indicate that COTA is a highly sensitive and specific antigen for mucinous ovarian cystadenocarcinoma and has potential for the early detection of malignant changes in mucinous ovarian cystadenoma.