Lymphocyte stimulation by autologous tumor cells in the presence of serum from the same patient or from healthy donors

The role of therapeutic apheresis in the treatment of cancer: a review

Immunosuppression is a hallmark of advanced malignancies in man. Over the past 40 years, many investigators have identified soluble immunosuppressive factors in blood, serum, ascitic fluid, and pleural fluid from cancers in man and other species. Suppressive factors have also been identified that are produced by tumors. The description of immunosuppressive factors in the blood of vertebrates who either have cancer or who are pregnant is significant, for only in pregnancy and cancer does a seemingly normal immune system tolerate immunogenic neoantigen. Tumor necrosis factors (TNFs) are known to be pleiotropic cytotoxic cytokines that are produced by macrophages and lymphocytes. These cells are thought to be suppressed in patients who have cancer or who are pregnant. Recently, elevated blood levels of soluble tumor necrosis factor receptors (sTNFRs) have been reported in the blood in a variety of cancers and pregnancy. In 1990, after our initial publication of the discovery of sTNFRs in the serum and low molecular weight ultrafiltrates of serum from a variety of cancer patients, others confirmed significant elevations of sTNFRs in cancer patients. This elevation was found to correlate with a poor prognosis. The biologic activity of proinflammatory cytokines as well as the suppressive role of their shed receptors is herein reviewed. Work with cancer patients using ultrapheresis to reduce these suppressive molecules by the authors and others is reviewed. Several recommendations are made for future directions.

Divergence between the occurrence of antibody and cellular immune reactivity to cervical carcinoma cell lines in preinvasive and macroinvasive stages of cervical carcinoma

A lymphocyte stimulation assay is described which detects immune reactivity to antigens derived from the CaSki cervical carcinoma cell line. Taking a stimulation index of greater than 4.1 as positive, the peripheral blood lymphocytes of 14/20 patients (70%) with untreated dysplasia or carcinoma-in-situ, 8/19 patients (42%) with untreated macroinvasive squamous cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix and 8/38 controls (21%) showed positive reactions. Statistical analysis revealed a significant difference between the group of patients with dysplasia or carcinoma-in-situ and the controls. The sera of patients and controls were simultaneously tested for the presence of tumour-directed antibody. There was no correlation between the occurrence of cellular immune reactivity and of serum antibody, both directed to cervical carcinoma antigens. Cellular immune reactivity tended to occur more frequently in patients with preinvasive stages of cervical carcinoma, and serum antibody in patients with macroinvasive carcinoma.

Specific attachment of T-lymphocytes from cancer patients to tumor cells

The present study describes a new approach for detecting the immune reaction of peripheral blood lymphocytes of cancer patients against tumor antigens. T-lymphocytes from patients with carcinoma of the urinary bladder were found to attach specifically to monolayers of cells of urinary bladder carcinoma line (T24). The attached T-cells were identified by their capacity to form E-rosettes with sheep red blood cells. The number of rosette forming--target attached lymphocytes (RF--TAL) was 6 times higher in bladder carcinoma patients than in healthy controls or in patients bearing other types of cancer.

Influence of Autologous Serum on in Vitro Reactivity of Peripheral Lymphocytes of Patients with Breast Cancer

The influence of autologous serum on DNA synthesis and phytohemagglutinin (PHA) or pokeweed mitogen (PWM) stimulation of peripheral blood lymphocytes from mammary tumor-bearing women has been studied. Blood samples were collected from patients at the 4 stages of the TNM classification who had not undergone any therapeutic treatment. Lymphocyte functions were significantly reduced only in patients with the largest tumors and in the latest stage of disease. Autologous cancer sera inhibited spontaneous DNA synthesis of lymphocytes and did not inhibit lymphocyte stimulation by mitogens. It is possible that unrecognized inhibiting and stimulating factors, possibly acting in synergism with mitogens, are present in mammary cancer sera.