Cell-mediated immunity to mouse mammary tumor virus antigens by patients with hyperplastic benign breast disease

Peripheral blood leukocytes of patients with preoperative breast cancer, benign breast disease, and benign gynecologic disorders and normal healthy females were tested, as blind coded specimens, with murine mammary tumor virus (MuMTV) antigens in the direct and indirect leukocyte migration inhibition (LMI) assays. The incidence of reactivity by patients with breast cancer was low. (From 5 to 35% breast cancer patients reacted, depending on which group of control individuals they were compared to and what antigen was used.) Nonparametric analyses showed no differences between control groups (normal donors and patients with gynecologic disorders) and breast cancer patients with either assay. However, there was a significant difference between benign breast disease patients with hyperplasia and 1) benign breast disease patients without hyperplasia (P less than 0.03) and 2) patients with gynecologic disorders (P less than 0.04) in the direct assay when it was performed blindly with the gp52 antigen. Patients with hyperplasia (benign breast disease as well as breast cancer) had a higher incidence of enhanced migration in the indirect test than breast disease patients without hyperplasia. The enhanced migration to the MuMTV was correlated to enhanced migration to a 3-M KCI extract of the breast cancer cell line MCF-7 in simultaneous tests. Thus the LMI assays with MuMTV antigens do not appear valuable in breast cancer diagnosis, but they may help to identify a small group of benign breast disease patients whose breast pathology is thought to be associated with a high risk for developing breast cancer.