title: Antigen specificity of squamous cancers of the head and neck based on tumor site using the slide leukocyte adherence inhibition assay.
abstract: Patients with a diagnosis of squamous cancer of the upper aerodigestive (UAD) system were tested with extracts of squamous cancer arising from several regions of the UAD tract and compared to various control populations, using the slide leukocyte adherence inhibition (LAI) assay. Seven tumor extracts were tested. Twenty-five of 77 tests (32%) were positive in unselected UAD squamous cancer patients. However, matching patients with tumor extract by the site of origin within the UAD tract, 19 of 22 tests (86%) were positive when the site of origin was identical for leukocyte donor and extract. Two of four patients tested with an extract prepared from a different site with in the same region of the UAD system were positive; whereas only 4 of 51 tests (8%) were positive in patients tested with an extract from a cancer arising from a different region within the UAD tract (P less than 0.001). One of 33 tests using patients with either not cancer (11 tests), squamous cancer of other regions (15), or adenocarcinoma (7) reacted to the extracts of UAD tract cancers. We conclude that patients with squamous cancer of the UAD tract can recognize distinct tumor-associated antigens that are site-specific and are non-cross-reactive using the LAI technique.
mesh_terms: D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000276:immunology*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000276:immunology*; D000939:Epitopes; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007158:Immunologic Techniques; D007957:Leukocyte Adherence Inhibition Test
chemical_list: D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D000939:Epitopes