title: Detection of humoral immune response to human brain tumors: specificity and reliability of microcytotoxicity assay.
abstract: A humoral microcytotoxicity assay has been used to study the immune response to human malignant astrocytic tumors. Two series are described. When the assay was performed under uniform, ideal conditions, the sera from 36 of 45 patients with these tumors (80%) produced significant cytotoxicity against allogeneic astrocytoma cells. Only 4 of 55 (7%) normal sera tested demonstrated cytotoxicity. The second series describes a five year study of over 400 sera with several sera assayed each week. The assay was found to vary in specificity and reliability over this five year period. The reasons for this variability are discussed and methods of standardizing the technique are proposed. Recent information concerning the mechanisms of the humoral microcytotoxicity assay offer promise of improved reliability and clinical utility.
mesh_terms: D000917:Antibody Formation; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology*; D002460:Cell Line; D003601:Cytotoxicity Tests, Immunologic; D005909:Glioblastoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D009374:Neoplasms, Experimental / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm