Monocolonal antibodies and antigen for human non-small cell lung carcinomas

A method for determining the presence of a maligant condition in a tissue specimen obtained from an individual comprising:

• (a) contacting the tissue specimen with an Fab, F(ab').sub.2 or Fv fragment of a monoclonal antibody, the antigen combining site of which competitively inhibits the immunospecific binding of monoclonal antibody L6, produced by hybridoma HB8677 as deposited with the ATCC, to its target antigen;
• and
• (b) detecting whether the Fab, F(ab').sub.2 or Fv fragment immunospecifically binds to the tissue specimen, in which immunospecific binding of the Fab, F(ab').sub.2 or Fv fragment to the tissue specimen indicates the presence of a malignant condition.

A method for determining the presence of a malignant condition in a tissue specimen obtained from an individual comprising:

• (a) contacting the tissue specimen with monoclonal antibody L6 which is produced by a hybridoma cell line having the identifying characteristics of HB8677, as deposited with the ATCC;
• and
• (b) detecting whether the monoclonal antibody L6 immunospecifically binds to the tissue specimen, in which binding of the monoclonal antibody L6 to the tissue specimen indicates the presence of a malignant condition in the tissue specimen.

A method for determining the presence of a malignant condition in a tissue specimen obtained from an individual, comprising:

• (a) contacting the tissue specimen with an Fab, F(ab').sub.2 or Fv fragment of monoclonal antibody L6 which is produced by a hybridoma cell line having the identifying characteristics of HB8677, as deposited with the ATCC;
• and
• (b) detecting whether the Fab, F(ab').sub.2 or Fv fragment immunospecifically binds to the tissue specimen, in which immunospecific binding of the Fab, F(ab').sub.2 or Fv fragment to the tissue specimen indicates the presence of a malignant condition.