Analysis of mixed lymphocyte-tumor culture in patients with malignant brain tumor

Abstract

✓ To ascertain whether tumor-specific immune response occurs in patients with malignant brain tumors, lymphocyte blastogenetic responses to tumor cells were examined in 18 patients prior to operation and other treatment. Among 12 patients with malignant glioma, the peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL's) showed a positive blastogenetic response to their own glioma cells in seven (58.3%), whereas the tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL's) showed a positive response in only three (25%). In four (66.7%) of six patients with metastatic brain tumors, however, both the PBL's and TIL's showed a positive blastogenetic response to their own tumor cells. In these four patients, this lymphocyte blastogenetic response to tumor cells were at a much lower level compared with phytohemagglutinin P or allogeneic lymphocyte stimulation. Furthermore, these responses were increased when the cells were cultured with interferon-γ (500 U). Other lymphokines had no effect on the response. This method appears to be useful in identifying the tumor-specific immune response in patients with malignant brain tumor.