Immunological assessment of renal cancer patients as evaluated by the lymphocyte adherence inhibition test.

The lymphocyte adherence inhibition test was used to evaluate tumor immunity toward 2 types of soluble renal cancer antigens extracted from 3 different renal cancer specimens. These extractions were accomplished with either 3 molar potassium chloride or 2.5 per cent butanol, and were tested in 23 patients with renal cancer, 8 with benign renal disease and 9 with bladder cancer. In 62 tests of lymphocyte adherence inhibition reactivities toward 3 molar potassium chloride in renal cancer patients the mean value of lymphocyte adherence inhibition reactivity (32.7 +/- 15.4 per cent) was significantly greater compared to that observed in 20 examinations in patients with benign renal disease (17.6 +/- 9.4 per cent, p less than 0.001) and 24 tests in bladder cancer patients (15.4 +/- 4.4 per cent, p less than 0.001). With a lymphocyte adherence inhibition index of greater than 20 per cent as a positive response, there were 50 true positive findings (81 per cent) in the renal cancer group, while the combined benign renal disease and bladder tumor groups had 34 true negative responses (77 per cent). With the butanol extract the mean lymphocyte adherence inhibition reactivity of the 62 tests done on renal cancer patients (38.9 +/- 10.8 per cent) was significantly greater than either control group (7.1 +/- 6.2 per cent, p less than 0.001 for benign renal disease and 5.9 +/- 2.6 per cent, p less than 0.001 for bladder tumor). Moreover, of 62 tests done on renal cancer patients 59 (95 per cent) had true positive responses, while 43 of the 44 tests (98 per cent) in the combined control group showed true negative findings. These results suggest that immune responses in renal cancer can be assessed with the lymphocyte adherence inhibition test, and they may be useful in the diagnosis and management of renal cancer patients.