The macrophage electrophoretic mobility test: Results on carcinoma of the colon and rectum.

The macrophage electrophoretic mobility (MEM) test was performed on guinea-pig macrophages treated with the interaction products of encephalitogenic protein and peripheral lymphocytes from 44 patients with colorectal cancer and 33 "healthy" controls. In 54/60 tests involving patients, statistically significant reductions in electrophoretic mobilities were observed, compared with 12/33 in controls. Our overall results on the reductions in macrophage mobilities by lymphocyte products are in accord with the work of some other workers, but not all. In contrast to many other studies, the standard procedures used here to express the results should permit an exchange of data on an international basis and allow a more rapid, general appraisal of the MEM test.