[The use of the determination of the immune competence of patients with malignant tumors of the maxillofacial area for making a diagnosis and prognosis].

The value of evidence of pretherapeutic investigations with the leucocyte adherence inhibition assay (LAI) for 5-year prognosis we examined in 42 patients with malignant tumors of the maxillo-facial region. We found a tendency of higher frequency of recurrence in patients with preoperative positive LAI, but this was not statistically significant. In 19 patients we accomplished follow-up studies until 20 months after operation. Here we found no false-positive LAI, so that a positive LAI indicated always a tumor recurrence (33% of patients with recurrence), but two thirds of patients with recurrence reacted negative. In conclusion the LAI is of too small sensitivity and of too high expense.