Influence of immune status on virus-derived transplantable hepatoma in chickens.

The transplantable MC-29 virus-derived hepatoma is a suitable model for studying the influence of immune status on virus-derived hepatomas in chickens. It was found that both humoral and cellular immunologic reactions have a role in the pathogenesis of virus-derived hepatomas and that virus-derived hepatomas can be influenced by nonspecific immunostimulation. The lymphoid system was profoundly altered in hepatoma-bearing chickens; this cannot be neglected when studying correlations between immune reactions and carcinogenesis. Profound changes were also observed in protein synthesis and the steroid receptor system of hepatoma-bearing chickens compared to healthy birds; this also complicates the understanding of the role of immune mechanisms in carcinogenesis.