The immune reaction as a stimulator of tumor growth.
Various numbers of spleen cells from specifically immunized mice were mixed with constant numbers of target tumor cells, and were inoculated subcutaneously into thymectomized, x-irradiated recipients. Small numbers of admixed immune spleen cells produced a statistically significant, and reproducible, acceleration of tumor growth in the inoculum as compared with controls of either nonimmune spleen cells or spleen cells from animals immune to a different, non-cross-reacting, tumor. Larger. numbers of specifically immune spleen cells, however, produced inhibition of tumor growth. These data imply that the normal immune reaction may have a dual function in relation to neoplasia: (i) stimulation of tumor growth, early in the course of the disease, or whenever the immune reaction is minimal; (ii) inhibition of tumor growth at other times.
D000818:Animals; D000917:Antibody Formation / Q000528:radiation effects; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D007114:Immunization; D051379:Mice; D009368:Neoplasm Transplantation; D011830:Radiation Effects; D012513:Sarcoma, Experimental / Q000276:immunology*; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology*; D013934:Thymectomy; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous