Specific cellular immunity detected by the in vitro monocyte spreading inhibition test in patients with bronchogenic carcinoma

Abstract

The test of the in vitro inhibition of monocyte spreading detected specific cell-mediated immunity (CMI) to melanoma-associated antigens in patients with melanoma. In this study we investigated the applicability of the test for assessment of specific antitumour immunity in patients with bronchogenic squamous-cell carcinoma (BSCa). Mononuclear blood cells of patients with the tumour were exposed to a soluble antigenic preparation, obtained by high-speed centrifugation of a homogenate of freshly excised BSCa tissue. The preparation inhibited the spreading of allogeneic monocytes from a group of 26 patients with BSCa (P=0.0023), but it did not inhibit monocytes from healthy laboratory personnel or those of patients with bronchogenic oat-cell carcinoma, benign lung tumours, or chronic tuberculosis. However, the same BSCa preparation inhibited (0.05>P>0.025) the spreading of monocytes from healthy hospital personnel (who were in prolonged contact with patients). At the same time, the monocytes of patients with BSCa were not inhibited by similarly obtained preparations from a normal lung, a benign thymoma, and a uterine squamous-cell carcinoma. We concluded that the in vitro test of monocyte spreading inhibition can detect specific CMI to antigens associated with the allogeneic BSCa in patients with the tumour.