We used flow cytometry to investigate the Tk-polyagglutination that was observed in a patient with metastatic lung cancer (59-year-old man). We analyzed the fluorescent patterns of three type's erythrocytes obtained from a patient, healthy type-0 subject, and neuraminidasetreatment using four kinds of FITC-conjugated lectins (Griffonia simplicifolia, GS-II; Dolichos biflorus, DBA; Glycine max, SBA; Arachis hypogaea, PNA). Furthermore, the reactivity of normal serum to the patient's erythrocytes

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... was analyzed by FITC-conjugated anti-human IgG and IgM antibodies. The patient's erythrocytes bound to FITC-GS-II and -PNA, but neuraminidase-treated erythrocytes reacted to FITC-SBA and -PNA. These results were in accordance with those obtained using the aggregation method. However, the reactivity of normal serum to the patient's erythrocytes according to flow cytometric analysis was different from that determined by the aggregation method. In particular, anti-human IgM antibody showed the well-reactive tendency. Our results suggest that flow cytometry was useful for the heterogeneous analysis of Tk-polyagglutination in a patient with malignant tumors.