Horizontal studies of cell mediated immune reactions to autologous tumour antigens in patients with operable mammary carcinoma.

B M Jones,A R Turnbull

doi:10.1038/bjc.1975.232

Abstract

The leucocyte migration and guinea-pig macrophage migration procedures were used to assess cell mediated, tumour directed immune reactions in patients with mammary carcinoma undergoing simple mastectomy with or without post-operative irradiation. Forty-seven per cent of patients reacted to autologous tumour antigens and 40% to allogeneic antigens when tested 7 days after operation; 23% reacted to autologous antigens at 2 months, 19% at 6 months and 34% at 1 year after surgery. Reactions to benign tissue fractions were rare. Better discrimination between test and control subjects was obtained when 3000 g sediments rather than nuclei-depleted homogenates (extracts) were used. Irradiation 3-7 weeks post-operatively did not depress the in vitro response at 2 months and yielded a higher rate of positive reactions at 6 months. Correlations of serial LMT responses with certain clinical findings are discussed.

Highlights

23% reacted to autologous antigens at 2 months, 19% at 6 months and 34%0 at 1 year after surgery
At the time of operation, biopsies were taken from the tumour draining axillary lymph nodes and examined for metastatic tumour deposits
It was not possible to set up other than breast, 4 pregnant females and 9 migration tests against tumour fractions in patients with benign breast disease, each of duplicate because of the need to conserve whom was tested against several tumours. material for follow-up tests, but duplicate

Summary

Cancer Patients tested against Autologous

Tumour Fractions, and for Control Subjects tested against the Same Fractions. MMT, but Overall Agreement .between the Two Methods occurred in 60/70 (86%) Tests C Includes 7 patients -ive by MMT. TABLE II.-Leucocytes from Control Subjects or Patients with Benign or Malignant Breast Disease were Tested against Extracts and 3000 g Fractions Prepared from Benign Breast Tissue.

Control Benign Malignant

Findings

DISCUSSION