Assessment of immune responses to tumors using cryostat sections of bronchogenic carcinoma

Thirty patients with lung cancer were studied using the leukocyte migration-inhibition assay. Cryostat sections of autologous and homologous carcinoma tissues and normal lung were used as antigens. Although no inhibition of migration was seen using autologous cancer tissues, seven of 30 patients (23%) demonstrated inhibition of leukocyte migration in response to homologous cancer sections. No association with clinical stage was appreciated. Seven patients demonstrated enhanced migration to homologous malignant tissues; six of these are still alive more than 18 months after testing. The extent of lymphocytic infiltration of tumors was estimated as a possible reflection of host immune response or tumor antigenicity. Patients whose tumors were prominently infiltrated by lymphocytes had a significantly better prognosis than did those whose tumors showed lesser degrees of infiltration. The degree to which a tumor is infiltrated by the host's lymphocytes appears to correlate with survival. Whether or not this correlation is independent of tumor cell type remains to be determined.