Specific cellular immune responses in patients with malignant gliomas.

The leukocyte adherence inhibition assay was used to measure cell-mediated immunity in 26 patients with malignant glial neoplasms and 41 control subjects. A significant inhibition of leukocyte adherence was observed in 21 of 26 (80%) glioma patients in the presence of a 3 M KCl extract of glioma tissue, as compared to that of normal brain extract. Among the control group, no significant difference in the percentage of nonadherent leukocytes was noted in the presence of either antigen. To study the specificity of the reaction, a 3 M KCl extract of meningioma, pituitary tumor, carcinomas of breast, and lung, melanoma, brain, and heart tissues were used as nonspecific antigens. Such studies revealed significantly lower values of nonadherent leukocytes. These data indicate that patients with malignant glial neoplasms manifest a cellular immune response to glioma-associated antigens which can be measured by the tube leukocyte adherence inhibition assay and that leukocyte adherence inhibition assay may render additional useful information in diagnostic and prognostic evaluation of malignant glial neoplasms.