Determination of TNF alpha, interferon alpha, interleukin 2 and reactivity in the leucocyte migration inhibition test in breast cancer patients.

To date, the results concerning the prognostic importance of parameters of cell-mediated immunity in breast cancer patients are very contradictory; moreover, in most of them the results are hardly comparable due to methodological differences and heterogeneous groups of patients. In 123 patients with nonmetastatic breast carcinoma TNF alpha, INF alpha, IL 2 and reactivity in the leucocyte migration inhibition test (LMI-Test) against autologous tumor tissue were determined and the results correlated with the clinical course of the disease up to a maximum of 108 months. In breast cancer patients TNF alpha-serum levels were significantly (p less than 0.05) elevated compared to healthy controls. We also found that patients with progressive disease had higher levels than patients without recurrences. There were no differences concerning the IL-2 and IFN alpha serum levels between cancer patients and controls, nor did we find a correlation with the clinical course of the disease. In 38% of all breast cancer patients examined, a MIF production against tumor tissue could be demonstrated in the LMI-test. There was no difference concerning the LMI-reactivity between the groups of lymph-node negative and positive patients, but the observation that those patients with an unfavourable clinical course respond more frequently with an enhanced macrophage migration and rarely with migration inhibition was considered of notable prognostic significance. According to these results, it is possible that determination of TNF alpha and delayed type hypersensitivity reaction against tumor tissue in the LMI-test is of clinical value for the determination of risk groups.