Macrophage migration inhibition factor test in breast tumors.

Thirty women with breast lumps who attended our outpatient clinic were randomly chosen for this study. The breast tumors were benign in 8 and malignant in 22 patients. Ten healthy women constituted a control group. In 15 of the 22 patients (68%) with malignant lesions, the migration inhibition factor (MIF) test was positive. Only one of the patients with benign lumps had a positive reaction. The MIF test was negative in all women in the healthy control group. It seems reasonable to conclude that the human cell-mediated immunity system is affected by the presence of breast cancer, and that the MIF test aids in the differentiation between benign and malignant breast tumors and has a sensitivity of at least 70%. The test may be of value in the postoperative follow-up of patients with breast cancer.