Cell-Mediated Immunity to Mouse Mammary Tumor Virus Antigens by Patients With Hyperplastic Benign Breast Disease 1,2,3

ABSTRACT-Peripheral blood leukocytes of patients with preoperative breast cancer, benign breast disease, and benign gynecologic disor-ders and normal healthy females were tested, as blind coded speci-mens, with murine mammary tumor virus (MuMTV) antigens in the direct and indirect leukocyte migration inhibition (LMI) assays. The incidence of reactivity by patients with breast cancer was low. (From 5 to 35 % breast cancer patients reacted, depending on which group of control individuals they were compared to and what antigen was used.) Nonparametric analyses showed no differences between control groups (normal donors and patients with gynecologic disorders) and breast cancer patients with either assay. However, there was a signif-icant difference between benign breast disease patients with hyperpla-sia and 1) benign breast disease patients without hyperplasia (P<O.03) and 2) patients with gynecologic disorders (P<O.04) in the direct assay when it was performed blindly with the gp52 antigen. Patients wit