Direct cytotoxicity test applied to patients in stage I and II of malignant skin melanoma

✍ Scribed by E. Kristensen; R. Reimann

• Book ID: 104660376
• Publisher: Springer-Verlag
• Year: 1977
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 591 KB
• Volume: 2
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0340-7004
• DOI: 10.1007/bf00199090

✦ Synopsis

Using the direct eytotox~!city test described by , 59patients suffering from localized malignant skin melanoma (stages I and I I) were investigated for cell-mediated immunity. On an average, peripheral Iymphoeytes obtained preoperatively from 52patients showed a higher cytotoxicity against one of two established melanoma cell lines (RPMI 7931) as compared to lymphocytes from eontrol persons. No significant differences were found between lymphocytotoxicity of the patients and the controls against the control cell lines.

In a prospective study, 17 patients were investigated. The results obtained so far suggest a correlation between a positive reaction postoperatively and recurrence of melanoma.

It is clear that the eontrol group exerted a certain degree of "nonspecific" cytotoxiei,ty depending on the target cell used (established cell lines versus short-term cultures) and the lymphocyte~target cell ratio. Furthermore, there was a day-to-day variation in the nonspecific cytotoxieity exerted by lymphoeytes derived from the same control person.

It is concluded that considerable refinements have to be made before the mierocytotoxic,ity assay becomes of clinical use in the evaluation of the postoperative status and course in melanoma patients.