Demonstration of cross-reacting tumor rejection antigens in chemically induced respiratory tract carcinomas in rats.

Experiments were performed to determine whether chemically induced rat respiratory tract carcinomas, which possess considerable immunogenicity, contain cross-reacting antigens. In vivo studies showed that effective cross-protection can be induced with four of the five respiratory tract cancers studied, suggesting that these tumors have common tumor rejection antigens. In vitro cytotoxicity studies with sera from tumor-immune hosts showed cross-reactivity among three of the carcinomas tested.