Detection of specific immunoreactivity by LAI assay in patients with malignant melanoma of uveal tissue.

To monitor the specific antitumor immunity to patients with malignant melanoma of the uveal tissue, use was made of the 20-hr modification of the leukocyte adherence inhibition (LAI) test. Simultaneously, changes in the proportionally of T (total and active) and B lymphocytes in peripheral blood were followed in the same patients by the E and EAC rosette formation test. Peripheral blood leukocytes from patients with malignant melanoma of the uvea, cultured in vitro for 20 hr with syngeneic and allogeneic tumor extract showed a significantly lower adhering capacity than the same cell population cultured without the specific tumor extract (21/22). A retest 3 months after tumor removal showed the percentage of positive cases to have declined (11/19). Leukocyte adherence of control donors, cultured with and without the tumor extract remained unchanged. A follow-up of immunocompetence in patients with malignant melanoma of the uvea, based on proportionally changes of total T, "active" T and B lymphocytes yielded information of an orienting value only. The results of investigation of the various cases proved to be considerably divergent and failed to present a reliable picture of the patient's immunological status.