Organ-related and malignancy-associated reactivity of cancer patients' leucocytes: a leucocyte migration study with tumour and foetal extracts.

Leucocytes from patients with a variety of tumours including gastric, colorectal, lung, kidney and mammary cancer, were tested in the leucocyte migration test (LMT) against organ-related and non-organ-related tumour and foetal extracts. The reactivity of cancer patients' leucocytes against a panel of organ-related tumour extracts was found to be 71-93%, depending on the tumour system tested. Cross-reactivity with a panel on non-organ-related tumour extracts was found in 0-38% of patients. Corresponding patterns of reactivity were obtained by testing patients' leucocytes against human foetal organ extracts; pathological migration indices (MI) were found in 70% of tests in which patients' leucocytes were reacted with organ-related extracts, and in 16% of tests with non-organ-related extracts. The data strongly support the concept that patients' leucocytes are sensitized to cross-reactive foetal determinants of organ-related specificities. Furthermore, it is proposed that foetal extracts as inducers of lymphokine production in presensitized lymphocytes could be used efficiently and reproducibly as a source of foetal antigen, as well as in the clinical application of the LMT procedure.