[Aspects of immunologic diagnosis of brain tumors. Results with tumor-associated membrane antigens and the electrophoretic mobility test (author's transl)].

In cell-mediated immune processes the products of antigen-sensitive lymphocytes are detectable as charge-changing lymphokines by means of the cell electrophoretic mobility method (EM test). the improvement of the method concerns the measuring procedures (indicator particle and automation) and the application of specific antigens. The employment of special membrane antigens (3 M KCl extracts) from tissue of normal brain and brain tumors is decisive for further differentiating results. The application of tumor-associated membrane antigens (TAA) from various kinds of brain tumors shows some diagnostically important reaction patterns. Using a common tumor antigen, the TAA-X3 mixture, a (1) characteristic result of general significance for neoplasms can be obtained; in applying the different TAA of brain tumors the findings in EM test point out an (2) organospecific reactivity and/or a (3) histogenetic reaction pattern. The distinct neuroepithelial and mesodermal brain tumors produce predominantly an organospecific reaction and only partly a histogenetical profile. For this type of reactivity to the TAA in brain tumors, a series of factors depending on neuroimmunological specialities are important.