ANALYSIS OF HETEROANTISERA TO CELLS FROM HUMAN MALIGNANT EFFUSIONS BY IMMUNOFLUORESCENCE AND PROTEIN A BINDING

Summary.-Using cultured cells derived from human malignant effusions, hetero-antisera were raised in rabbits. The antisera were sequentially absorbed on various human non-tumour cells, reactivity being monitored by immunofluorescence and 125I-labelled staphylococcal protein A assays. The absorbed antisera possessed common reactivity to all tumour cells assayed. This reactivity was not histogenically determined, and our data suggest that it was not directed to oncofoetal antigens. A CRUCIAL step in the application of immunology to the management of cancer is the demonstration of tumour-associated antigens on human neoplasms. A wide variety of approaches to this problem has been made (Grimm et al., 1976; Gorsky, Vanky and Sulitzeanu, 1976