Targeting Cancer Micrometastases with Monoclonal Antibodies: A Binding-Site Barrier

Monoclonal antibodies penetrate bulky tumors poorly after intravenous administration, in part because of specific binding to the target antigen. Experiments presented here demonstrate an analogous phenomenon in micrometastases; poor antibody penetration, attributable to a "binding-site barrier" phenomenon, can be seen in guinea pig micrometastases as small as 300 μm in diameter. Increasing the dose of antibody can partially overcome this limitation, but at a cost in specificity.