Prostate and transitional cell carcinoma: radioimmunoassay of viral tumor-associated antigens

Partially purified extracts from human urothelial tumors were utilized as competing antigens in competition radioimmunoassays in conjunction with purified RNA viral interspecies proteins and the respective antibodies to these viral proteins in efforts to detect the presence of one of the structural components of type C RNA viruses, the p30 core protein. Some antigen present in extracts of 25% of the bladder and 22% of the prostate tissues assayed demonstrated cross-reactivity with the viral p30 protein used in the radioimmunoassay system. These findings suggest that some human urothelial tissues contain a protein similar to the p30 core protein of the C-type RNA viruses and that this protein might prove useful in clinical surveys of patients with urogenital tumors.

Mixed leukocyte culture reactivity of lymph node cells regional to transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder

Regional lymph node cells from some patients with bladder cancer exhibited a suppressive effect on the ability of autologous and allogeneic blood leukocytes to function as stimulator cells in one-way mixed leukocyte culture. The appearance of the suppressor activity was significantly correlated to advancing stage of disease and to the histology of the regional lymph nodes.

Lymphocyte-mediated cytotoxicity in patients with renal and transitional cell carcinoma receiving BCG

Our modified lymphocyte-mediated microcytotoxicity assay, which allows the serial estimation of lymphocyte cytotoxicity, was used to evaluate the immune response of patients with advanced renal cell and transitional cell carcinoma who were receiving BCG therapy. Preliminary data suggested that this assay may be useful in monitoring cancer patients receiving BCG.

Immunocompetence of patients with transitional cell carcinoma as measured by dinitrochlorobenzene skin tests and in vitro lymphocyte function

Patients with transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder have a highly significant stepwise decrease in responsiveness to challenge with DNCB with advancing stage of disease. Seventy-five percent of those patients with superficial tumors are skin-test positive versus only 35% for those having tumors that are locally advanced and/or metastatic. MLC response and ability to stimulate in this culture as well as PHA and Con A response of blood leukocytes have been studied in relation to stage of disease and therapy. Recent irradiation appears to inhibit significantly MLC responsiveness, and PHA and Con A blastogenesis. Although responsiveness for this group of patients is decreased from normal, a further decrease occurs in responsiveness to Con A with advancing stage of disease. Blood leukocytes from some patients with urinary bladder carcinoma appear to have a decreased ability to function as stimulator cells in one-way MLC. This ability to stimulate returns to normal levels with tumor removal.

Immunogenicity of N-[-4-(5-nitro-2-furyl)-2-thiazolyl]formamide-induced bladder cancer

Five transplantable TCC initially induced by the carcinogen FANFT were systematically tested for individual immunogenicity and then for the presence of cross-reacting tumor antigens. The classic amputation challenge technique was used. Three of the 5 tumors were immunogenic, as determined by their ability to reduce the growth of a challenge tumor dose in mice immunized with the same bladder tumor. Prior immunization with one of the immunogenic tumors failed to reduce the incidence or growth of primary bladder tumors induced by the ingestion of 0.1% FANFT in C3H/HeJ mice. The lack of cross-reacting tumor antigens has important implications for the use of allogeneic tumor cells as an antigen source in immunotherapy.

Transitional cell carcinoma: circulating tumor antigen correlated with presence/absence of tumor (leukocyte migration assay)

Sera from patients with TCC of the urinary bladder have been fractionated. We tested the fractions for activity in the leukocyte migration test, using peripheral blood leukocytes from TCC patients, other cancer patients, and healthy control donors as indicator cells. The results suggest that an antigen associated with TCC can be detected in the sera of patients bearing TCC but not in tumor-free individuals.

Detection of antigens on transitional cell carcinoma with a xenogeneic antiserum

An antiserum against T24 was raised in rabbits. One serum that was tested by complement-dependent cytotoxicity and absorption analysis appeared to distinguish functionally between bladder cancer cell lines and other cell lines.

In vitro immune parameters in relation to clinical course in transitional cell carcinoma

Longitudinal experiments were performed in which lymphocytes from patients were compared with simultaneously studied normals. Patient lymphocytes were examined for their ability to function as stimulator and responder cells in a one-way MLC. Additionally, lymphocyte mitogenic response to PHA and Con A were examined. We observed changes in these parameters that could be correlated with the clinical course of the patients.

Correlation of primary tumor bed lymphocytic infiltration and peripheral lymphocyte cytotoxicity in patients with transitional cell carcinoma

Patients with transitional cell carcinoma were studied in an attempt to correlate lymphocyte infiltration into the primary tumor bed with peripheral lymphocyte cytotoxicity as measured by a chromium-51 release assay.

Transitional cell and renal carcinoma: cell-mediated immunity as determined by the lymphocyte titration technique

A unique cell-mediated cytotoxicity assay, which can be used for longitudinal patient studies, is described. A study of a patient with renal cell carcinoma is presented.

Plenary lecture: lymphocytic infiltration in relationship to urologic tumors

In summary, it may be said that, to date, among urologic tumors, seminoma is the only one in which lymphocytic and/or plasmacytic infiltration is known to improve the prognosis, and the available information on tumors of bladder, kidney, and prostate do not yet permit any statement relative to prognostic significance of inflammatory cell infiltration. When studying the relationship of lymphocytic and/or plasmacytic infiltration to tumors, it is essential for one to distinguish between cases in which the infiltration is in intimate relationship to the tumor cells and/or where the tumor cells show definite degenerative changes, e.g., seminoma, from those cases in which the inflammation is present at some distance from the tumor, e.g., chronic prostatis, and from those in which the inflammation is preexisting, e.g., schistosomiasis. Claims made about the prognostic significance of such infiltration should have adequate controls.

Transitional cell carcinoma: lymphocyte-mediated cytotoxicity

A method of removing Fc+ lymphocytes from human peripheral blood was presented. Results upon testing the remaining cell populations for cytotoxicity against autochthonous and allogeneic target cell systems was presented.

Transitional cell cancer: fluorescent antibody binding to tumor cells in vitro

The IFA assay has been used to detect antigen--antibody reactions between sera from patients with TCC and TCC cell lines established in our laboratory. A positive immunofluorescence reaction, consisting of perinuclear staining, was seen in 86% of the sera from TCC patients exposed to 253J cells. A positive reaction was detection in only 8% of the sera from healthy donors, in 19% of that from patients with nonmalignant urinary tract disease, and in 31% of the sera from patients with urinary tract tumors other than TCC when exposed to 253J cells. No positive reaction was detected when these same sera were exposed to either WI-38 or normal human kidney cells. The positive fluorescence could be removed from TCC sera by absorption with TCC surgical specimens but not by absorption with nontumor surgical specimens.

Preliminary report of the use of levamisole in the treatment of bladder cancer

Sixty-two patients with transitional cell carcinoma have been admitted to a double-blind randomized control study with levamisole as an immune adjuvant, in addition to standard therapy for noninvasive and invasive bladder cancer. Levamisole has been shown to be easily administered and is well-tolerated, especially when compared to other immune adjuvants such as bacillus Calmette-Guerin or Corynebacterium parvum. To date, there is no significant difference in the disease-free interval in the levamisole-treated group compared to the placebo group. Initial dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB) reactivity may be an important prognostic indicator with regard to tumor recurrence. Tumor recurrence seems to be rare in those patients who are initially DNCB-positive. Total monocyte count, T lymphocyte, FC receptor cells, and PHA response showed no improvement with levamisole therapy. Monocyte chemotaxis remains the only immune function study to improve with levamisole, but the clinical significance of this test is yet to be explained.

Establishment and characterization of a new human urinary bladder carcinoma cell line (PS-1)

An epithelioid cell line (PS-1) has been established from a transitional cell cancer derived from human urinary bladder. Subcutaneous injection of the epithelioid cells into weanling athymic nude mice induced solid tumors histologically similar to the original tumor. A cell line was also established from a tumor induced in the athymic nude mouse (PS-1, T-1). Both cell lines exhibited essentially identical growth characteristics and formed a monolayer growth of epithelioid cells in culture. Electron microscopic studies confirmed epithelioid morphology. No fibroblastoid elements were observed. Chromosomal analysis revealed heteroploidy with persistent marker chromosomes; all cells contained a Y chromosome. The presence of tumor-specific antigen(s) in PS-1 cells was suggested by microcytotoxicity assays with peripheral allogeneic lymphocytes from other transitional cancer cell patients. Sera of urinary bladder cancer patients reacted with nuclear antigens of the established cells.

Immune response of prostatic cancer patients to cytomegalovirus-infected and -transformed human cells

The indirect immunofluorescent test was used to determine the prevalence of humoral immunity to cytomegalovirus (CMV)-induced antigens in prostatic cancer patients as compared to age-matched controls. Significantly more prostatic cancer patients demonstrated high CMV-antibody titers than did the benign prostatic hyperplasia and nonurogenital cancer groups; however, no significant difference in reactivity was found between paients with prostatic cancer and transitional cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder. When screened against CMV-transformed human cell lines, the reactivity of the sera followed the rate of expression of CMV-related antigens of cell lines used in these tests.

Transfer of adoptive immunity by intra-arterial injection of tumor-immune pig lymph node cells: treatment of recurrent urinary bladder carcinoma after radical radiotherapy

Twenty-four patients with invasive transitional cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder, recurrent after radiotherapy, were treated by intra-arterial infusion of tumor-immune pig lymph node cells. In 11 patients there was a remission of the disease process, and 3 patients remain alive and free of disease in excess of one year after treatment.

Acute effects of orally administered levamisole on random monocyte motility and chemotaxis in man

Cellular immune functions were studied in patients with early bladder cancer 2 hours after ingestion of either levamisole or a placebo. Random monocyte motility was significantly increased (P less than 0.025) in 13 of 17 patients receiving levamisole. Monocyte chemotaxis was significantly increased (P less than 0.025) in 16 of the 17 patients. Random monocyte motility and monocyte chemotaxis did not change in either 8 patients on the placebo or in 15 normal controls. Monocytes from normal donors showed increased random motility and chemotaxis after incubation with levamisole in vitro. These results indicated that increases in peripheral blood monocyte motility followed oral administration of levamisole. Kinetic studies indicated that these effects were rapid in onset and short lived.

[HL-A antigenicity in bladder tumors]

30 patients with papillary transitional bladder tumours were treated by TUR. The stage O and A tumour specimens obtained were examined for presence or loss of antigenicity by the specific red cell adherence test (SRCA). The patients were followed up between 4 and 17 years. A correlation between loss of antigenicity and secondary occurrence of tumours with more aggressive biological behaviour was apparent. Possible therapeutic consequences are discussed.

Ultrastructure, karyology and immunology of a cell line originated from a human transitional-cell carcinoma

A cell line (J82) was derived from a poorly differentiated, invasive, transitional-cell carcinoma, Stage T3. The cells have been propagated in vitro for 5 years and showed 100% aneuploidy and a mixed epithelial-fibroblastic morphology. The majority of cells contained 2Y chromosomes and several distinctive markers. Peripheral-blood lymphocytes from the donor of the J82 cells were tested sequentially for cytotoxicity toward autologous and allogeneic tumour cells. Autologous cytotoxicity was detected against J82 cells in early in vitro passage. Allogeneic lymphocytes from some patients with transitional-cell carcinoma were also cytotoxic to J82 cells in primary culture. However, selective cytotoxicity by lymphoid cells from bladder-carcinoma patients was not detected against J82 cells in long-term tissue culture.

Cellular immunity in bladder cancer patients

The leukocyte adherence inhibition test was used to evaluate the cellular immune status of 16 patients with a histological diagnosis of transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder. The reactivity of the leukocytes was measured against extracts of transitional cell carcinoma as well as renal cell carcinoma. The leukocytes of age and sex-matched control subjects, as well as patients with urinary tract infection, also were studied. The leukocytes of patients with transitional cell carcinoma were more reactive to extracts of transitional cell carcinoma. These results suggest that a response to tumor-associated antigens is present in transitional cell carcinoma patients.

Isoantigens A, B and H in urinary bladder carcinomas following radiotherapy

ABH tissue isoantigens were measured by the Specific Red Cell Adherence (SRCA) test in 66 surgical specimens of urinary bladder, including 53 transitional cell carcinomas, 2 squamous cell carcinomas and 11 controls. The SRCA test was strongly positive in 10 of 11 controls. ABH isoantigens were absent or equivocally present in 68 percent of noninvasive carcinomas (stage 0) and in 65 percent of invasive carcinomas. Clinical histories revealed that all patients with invasive carcinoma who had strongly positive SRCA test results had received prior radiotherapy to the bladder region. None of the patients with invasive bladder carcinoma with negative or weakly positive SRCA tests had been radiated. Histopathology of tumors in both groups was similar. Results of this retrospective study support the hypothesis that radiation may induce differentiation in tumors, possibly through an enhancement of Golgi apparatus function. The SRCA test should not be used as a predictor of the biological behavior of future recurrences in patients with bladder carcinoma who have received therapeutic radiation since radiation may produce "false positive" SRCA test results.