Immunological properties of neoplastic neural tissues

The results are presented of the examination of 28 neoplasms from the nervous system for an organ-specific antigenic material demonstrated in glial cells and myelin, using gel diffusion, immunocytotoxicity and immunofluorescence techniques.The antigenic material was demonstrable in benign gliomas and in those of low-grade malignancy, but not in the more malignant gliomas and non-gliomatous neoplasia.The implications of the loss of specific antigenic material with reference to cell structure and function, and some fallacies in the interpretation of the significance of tissue specific antigen in carcinogenesis are discussed.