Leucocyte adherence inhibition test for the detection of cell-mediated immunity to malignant melanoma

A tube leucocyte adherence test was used to detect reactivity of melanoma patients to extracts of melanoma tissue. Breast cancer extracts were used as a control. Of 31 melanoma patients 22 gave a positive reaction (non-adherence index > 25%) to melanoma extracts whereas only three of 24 normal subjects did so. Fifteen of 16 patients with Stage 1 melanoma reacted but only seven of 15 patients with Stage 2 or Stage 3 disease did so. None of seven patients with breast cancer reacted to melanoma extract, but four of them reacted to breast cancer extract. None of four patients with benign breast disease reacted to either extract. It is concluded that leucocyte adherence inhibition is potentially useful in investigations of tumour-specific immune reactivity to melanoma and of melanoma antigens.