A Study of Some Diagnostic Reactions for Malignant Tumors

Abstract

Under the auspices of the Huntington Fund for Cancer Research I have investigated some of the serum-diagnostic tests for malignant tumor, chiefly those of Freund and Kaminer and of von Dungern, and it is the purpose of this communication to report the results of that study. The serological diagnosis of disease is made with the aid of reactions that are designated as “bio-chemical” reactions because of the fact that the chemical constitution of the substances taking part in those reactions is for the greater part unknown. The first serological test applied to the diagnosis of disease (the Widal reaction) depended upon the interaction of true antigenic substances with their specific antibodies, in the phenomenon of agglutination. As other expressions of specific immunity reactions were discovered (specific complement deviation, meiostagmine reaction, anaphylactic shock) attempts were made to use these also in the diagnosis of disease, and as a result of such efforts a perfect imitation of specific complement deviation was discovered in the non-specific Wassermann reaction, a reaction that is produced by the interaction of lipoid substances lacking true antigenic properties, and a serum constituent that is not a true antibody. In the search for a diagnostic serological test for malignant tumors, the investigations have generally followed the lead of the specific as well as of the non-specific immunity reactions, but some tests have been devised that are not based on any of these reactions.