Human tumor-lymphocyte interaction in vitro. III. T lymphocytes in autologous tumor stimulation (ATS).

The T-cell nature of the responding cells in autologous tumor stimulation (ATS) was proven by (1) E-rosette formation of lymphocytes attached to tumor cells during the early period of co-cultivation; (2) blast-transformed E-rosetting cells detectable at the end of the test period (day 6) and (3) the reactivity of T-enriched lymphocyte subset and unresponsiveness of T-depleted fractions. Preparation of tumor suspensions devoid of lymphocytes made it possible to carry out cross-tests between patients. Blastogenesis with allogeneic tumors was rare. The restricted autologous nature of the reaction is a strong indication for genuine tumor-relatedness.