Immunologic evaluation of human renal cell carcinoma. In vitro studies.

Attempt were made to initiate cell lines from 11 specimens obtained from nine patients with renal cell carcinoma. Primary cultures were obtained in seven instances with only five long term cells lines. Two of these cell lines were obtained from metastatic tumors in two patients. Using microcytotoxicity assay, both autochthonous and allogeneic lymphocytotoxicity, specific to renal cell tumor, was demonstrated. This would suggest a common cross-reacting tumor-associated antigen. No lymphocytotoxicity could be demonstrated using autochthonous lymphocytes aganist two metastatic tumor target cell lines. This would suggest some antigenic differences between primary tumor and its metastases. In seven instances significant complement-dependent cytotoxicity was demonstrated using six different renal cell carcinoma target cell lines. Serums from three patients with renal cell carcinoma, one without any recurrent tumor and two with metastases, appear to significantly block the autochthonous and allogeneic lymphocyte cytotoxicity.