Defective monocyte chemotaxis in patients with epidermoid tumors of the head and neck.

The function of the immune surveillance system has been studied extensively in patients with neoplastic disease. Defective monocyte chemotaxis has been demonstrated in a variety of neoplastic conditions. We have assayed chemotaxis in monocytic and polymorphonuclear leukocytes taken from patients with epidermoid tumors of the head and neck. Multiwell chemotaxis chambers and the chemoattractant, formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine, were used. Polymorphonuclear leukocytes responded normally, but monocytes from all tumor patients studied displayed marked reductions in random migration (86% inhibition) and in chemotaxis (77% inhibition) toward formylpeptide.