Lymphocyte antibody interaction in cytotoxicity against human transitional cell carcinoma

Preliminary results on the use of the humoral immune response as a serum marker in patients with bladder tumors

An immunoassay using a human bladder tumor tissue culture cell line (J-82) as antigen and a modified avidin-biotin-complex (ABC) method were used to examine human serum samples. Optical density (OD) of 26 serum samples obtained from 19 patients with bladder tumors had a mean OD of 458 +/- 71 SD (328-570). This is significantly higher (p less than 0.0005) when compared to the mean OD of 172 +/- 49 SD (107-301) found in serum samples from 28 patients with tumors other than bladder cancer and to the mean OD of 207 +/- 48 SD (136-310) of serum samples from 25 healthy donors. Thirty-one serum samples from 21 patients who had a bladder tumor surgically removed 1 to 36 months before were, with 2 exceptions, also higher than 320 (mean 412 [248-550]). All serum samples of patients with presence of a bladder tumor above the cut-off point of 320 and those from the 2 control groups below it shows, thus far, a high sensitivity as well as specificity of the method used and encourages further assessment of its potential usefulness as a serum marker assay in patients with bladder cancer.

Detection of tumor-associated antigens in urine from patients with bladder cancer

An antiserum was prepared to a hypotonic saline extract of bladder tumor tissue which, after absorption with normal tissues, was used to localize tumor-associated antigens in a Sephadex G-150 elution profile of urine from patients with bladder cancer. A second antiserum was prepared to the urine fraction with tumor-associated antigens. After absorption with normal urine and plasma this antiserum was reacted in gel diffusion and complement fixation assays against urine samples from normal individuals, patients with bladder cancer and patients with proved urinary tract infections. In the gel diffusion assays none of the 23 urine specimens from normal individuals, 37 per cent of the 24 urine specimens from patients with urinary tract infections, 61 per cent of 13 urine samples from patients with papillomas and in situ tumors, and 95 per cent of 30 samples from patients with bladder cancer gave positive precipitin reactions. In complement fixation assays urine from 53 patients with papillomas through grade IV cancers showed a mean 50 per cent complement fixation at 30 micrograms. protein, 29 patients with urinary tract infections showed a mean 50 per cent complement fixation at 150 micrograms. protein and all but 6 urine specimens from more than 30 normal individuals showed 50 per cent complement fixation (mean value) at 140 micrograms. protein. Thus, an antiserum has been produced that may be used in assays for the diagnosis of bladder cancer.

Lymphocyte-mediated lysis of tumor cells in vitro (ADCC), induced by serum antibodies from patients with urinary bladder carcinoma or from controls

IgG fractions from serum of patients with transitional-cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder (TCC), patients with carcinoma of the prostate (CC) and healthy donors (HD) were tested for their capacity to induce antibody-dependent lymphocyte-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) to tumor cells in vitro. Lymphocytes from healthy donors were selected for low natural cytotoxicity to the target cells from established cell lines of TCC or other origins. IgG was prepared by adsorption of serum to Sepharose-bound protein A from Staphylococcus aureus and subsequent acid elution. When tested against a panel of six different target cells, most individual IgG preparations from all three donor groups contained antibodies inducing ADCC to some of the target cells. When IgG preparations from II untreated TCC patients were studied for ADCC induction to the TCC target T24 and the colon carcinoma HT29, cytotoxicity to T24 was, on an average, significantly higher than that to HT29. For IgG preparations from 18 TCC patients, treated with radiotherapy, a similar difference was seen but was not statistically significant. IgG preparations from II patients with carcinoma of the prostate and from 12 healthy donors did not show this differences. Moreover, while individual IgG preparations from untreated TCC patients were, on the average, significantly more cytotoxic to T24 than those from either of the two control groups, no such differences were seen when HT29 was the target. On the contrary, IgG preparations from patients with prostatic carcinoma were significantly more cytotoxic to HT29 than those from healthy donors. The results suggest that TCC patients develop a disease-related humoral immune response, superimposed on a "natural" immunity to a variety of antigens on the target cells used. The nature of the antigens involved in these reactions remains to be established. However, the results are compatible with previous findings, in these patients, of a bladder-tumor-related cellular cytotoxicity, to a large extent caused by the patients' own antibodies.

Use of heterogenous and monospecific antisera for the diagnosis of bladder cancer

A rabbit antibody to antigens present in urine from bladder cancer patients was prepared and used in conjunction with various monospecific antisera to detect urine components related to bladder cancer. All urine samples were centrifuged routinely, dialyzed and concentrated 10 times before assay by gel diffusion versus the various antisera. Urine was considered positive when it showed reactivity with 2 or more antibodies. This method of analysis resulted in the diagnosis of 64% of the bladder papillomas and 77% of the bladder cancers tested, compared to only a 7% falsely positive rate with normal urine. These data support the potential usefulness of an antiserum panel in the immunological diagnosis of bladder cancer in the general population and in high risk individuals.

Serum induced lymphoid cell mediated cytotoxicity to human transitional cell carcinomas of the genitourinary tract

In some serums of patients with transitional cell carcinoma (TCC), a factor is present which induces lymphocytes from most donors with or without TCC to become cytotoxic against TCC-derived target cells. The induced cytotoxicity was directed against target cells derived from TCC's of the renal pelvis, ureter, and urinary bladder, but not against cells derived from normal kidney, bladder, testis, or skin or from renal cell carcinoma. Cytotoxicity occurred without complement but did not occur without effector cells.