Immunotherapy of a carcinogen-induced murine sarcoma with soluble tumor-specific transplantation antigens.
Tumor-specific transplantation antigens (TSTA), extracted from the 3-methylcholanthrene-induced sarcoma MCA-F and partially purified by flat-bed isoelectric focusing, were used to treat syngeneic inbred C3H/HeJ mice bearing supralethal neoplastic challenges. Three weekly injections of 25 micrograms TSTA increased the survival times of hosts inoculated 1 day earlier with ten times the lethal dose of MCA-F cells. In another protocol TSTA injections decreased the incidence and outgrowth of a local metastasis in mice given sc supralethal inoculations and completely resected of established 1-cm tumors. In addition, weekly injections of 25 micrograms MCA-F TSTA decreased the tumor recurrence rate and increased the survival times of hosts with recurrent neoplastic disease by virtue of residual tumor cells following resection of 2-cm masses. The therapeutic effect of TSTA was immunologically specific: Animals cured of local MCA-F recurrences promptly died from primary challenge with the non-cross-reacting sarcoma MCA-D. The results suggest that active specific immunotherapy may represent a useful adjunct to treatment of hosts bearing modest tumor burdens.
D000818:Animals; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000939:Epitopes; D005260:Female; D006649:Histocompatibility Antigens / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D007167:Immunotherapy; D008748:Methylcholanthrene; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D012513:Sarcoma, Experimental / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy*
D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D000939:Epitopes; D006649:Histocompatibility Antigens; D008748:Methylcholanthrene