Leucocyte-migration-inhibition test in patients with colorectal cancer: clinicopathological correlations

Leucocyte-migration-inhibition test was used to study the immune reactions of leucocytes from 136 colorectal cancer patients, 43 patients with non-cancerous chronic colorectal diseases and 82 controls, with saline extracts of HT29 line. A positive inhibition was found in only 43% of colorectal cancer patients. It was higher in carcinomas of limited extension than in invasive ones (64% against 39%). Furthermore, operation by itself had a depressive effect on the reaction, as the positivity in 25 patients tested twice was 64% before operation and 32% after. Leucocytes from patients with non-cancerous chronic colorectal diseases gave many positive reactions (65%). The percentage of positivity was about the same for diseases with high, low or no risk of cancerization. Hence the antigen(s) of tumour extracts that react with patient's leucocytes are, at least partially, unrelated to cancer.