Evaluation of the immunocompetance of patients with transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder.

The cellular immunocompetence was examined by means of the quantitative DNCB hypersensitivity reaction in 152 patients with transitional cell carcinomas of the bladder of Broders grades 1-4. Against a control group of 367 normal controls of both sexes, 85 patients with transitional cell carcinomas of grades 1 and 2 showed a normal DNCB reactivity, irrespective of the frequency of tumour recurrence. In 9 patients of this group, an increase of malignancy from grade 2 to grade 3 was observed; the simultaneous deterioration of immunocompetence, however, was not statistically significant. On the other hand, with transitional cell carcinomas of grades 3 and 4, significant impairment of immunocompetence correlating with the tumour stage was noted.