Checking of carcinoma patients with the leukocyte migration technique (LMT) under agarose

Leukocyte migration tests under agarose (Clausen technique) were performed in 28 patients tentatively diagnosed as having any malignancy with the use of a 3 M KCl-extract panel prepared from bronchogenic, gastric, colonic, renal, and mammary carcinoma, corresponding normal tissues, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), and human encephalitogenic protein (HEP). 17 out of 22 proven carcinoma patients showed sensitization by reaction with optimal concentrated KCl-extract of cancer from the same organ type as their own tumor. In some cases positive reactions could be observed also with normal tissue antigen (NTA) of tumor organ type (7/22) or with an additional carcinoma extract of organ type differing from patients own primary tumor (8/22). Gastrointestinal carcinomas, especially, showed sensitization to CEA (7/12) contrary to nongastrointestinal carcinomas (1/10). With HEP no positive reactivity could be found (0/10). With the use of tumor antigen panel (5 antigens) only few positive reactions (MI less than 0.80 or greater than 1.20) could be observed in 6 patients with nonmalignant diseases (1/30 tests) and 8 healthy blood donors (1/40 tests). A widespread individual screening program using tissue antigens for patients suspected of malignancies could give a pattern of reactivities and improve the recognition of cell-mediated sensitization against tumor tissues.