[Tumour immunology (author's transl)].

The anti-tumour immune mechanism as it operates in vivo and in vitro is reviewed. Tumour-specific antigens on the surface of the tumour cell induce cellular (lymphocytes, macrophages) and humoral (antibodies, mediators) reactions which are capable of destroying the tumour cell. The combined operation of these mechanisms is described in detail, e.g. opsonization of tumour cells, enhancement, escape mechanism, specific versus unspecific reactions, potentiation. Analyses of tumour-specific cell-mediated reactions gain more and more importance as attempts to influence the function and differentiation of individual cells become more and more successful.