Cell-mediated cytotoxicity in preinvasive and invasive squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix.

Cell-mediated immunity was tested by coincubation of target cell line (2043) of human squamous cell carcinoma and peripheral blood leukocytes (PBL) of 22 patients with squamous cell neoplasia of the uterine cervix, 9 patients with other tumors, and 9 normal females. The percentage of cell reduction in mild dysplasia was 90.1 +/- 6.8% (.001 less than P less than .005), in moderate dysplasia was 91.1 +/- 6.4% (.001 less than P less than .005), in severe dysplasia was 91.6 +/- 15.6% (P less than .001), in carcinoma in situ was 85.0 +/ 2.6% (P less than .001), and in invasive squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix was 85.0 +/- 6.9% (P less than .001). Peripheral blood leukocytes of patients with squamous neoplasia did not show any significant cytocoxicity against cell line SKOV-3, developed from an ovarian adenocarcinoma, nor did the PBL of patients with "other tumors" show any significant cytotoxicity against cell line 2043. This study shows that even in early stages of preinvasive squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix, the PBL are sensitized against the neoplastic process, confirming that different stages of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and invasive squamous cell carcinoma are different intensities of the same biologic process.