Classification of the bladder cancer patient based on in vitro measurements of the immune response.

In vitro measurements of the immune response in patients with cancer can be divided into those that estimate nonspecific and those that estimate tumor-specific immune responses. Contained herein is a review of these measurements, especially as they relate to studies that have been reported in patients with transitional cell carcinoma (TCC). In vitro tumor-specific immunity has been extensively examined in TCC using the lymphocyte-mediated microcytotoxicity assay, but subsequent observations on this assay have seriously jeopardized the validity of those early findings. Recent modifications of this assay have permitted longitudinal studies of lymphocyte cytotoxicity in TCC patients, and clinical correlations suggest that this modified assay may detect important immunological events. To date, however, a clinically useful classification of the TCC patient based on in vitro measurement of immune responses has not been achieved, although many promising areas still require investigation.