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PubMed · 55303

Immunologic approaches to the diagnosis of cancer.

R B Herberman
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Abstract

A variety of immunologic approaches can be applied to the diagnosis of human cancer, and these have the potential advantages of specificity and sensitivity. Many tumor distinctive markers have been detected in the circulation of cancer patients. Cancer patients frequently have detectably depressed immune competence, but also have cell-mediated and humoral immune reactivity against tumor-associated antigens. Radiolabeling of specific antibodies may allow localization in vivo of tumors. With each of these potential immunodiagnostic approaches, it is necessary to systematically evaluate the assays and determine their value for specific clinical applications.

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Antibodies, NeoplasmAntibody FormationAntigensAntigens, NeoplasmAntigens, ViralB-LymphocytesCalcitoninCarcinoembryonic AntigenCell Migration InhibitionCytotoxicity Tests, ImmunologicHumansImmune Adherence ReactionImmunity, CellularImmunologic TechniquesLeukocyte CountMacrophagesNeoplasmsResearch DesignSerologic TestsSkin TestsT-LymphocytesThyroid Neoplasmsalpha-FetoproteinsJournal ArticleReview

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BibTeXRIS

R B Herberman. 1976. Immunologic approaches to the diagnosis of cancer.. https://doi.org/10.1002/1097-0142(197601)37%3A1%2B%3C549%3A%3Aaid-cncr2820370720%3E3.0.co%3B2-l

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PubMed1979

Studies on the clonal origin of multiple myeloma. Use of individually specific (idiotype) antibodies to trace the oncogenic event to its earliest point of expression in B-cell differentiation.

IgA myeloma proteins of kappa- and lambda-types were isolated from two patients. These were used to produce and purify anti-idiotype antibodies of both broad (myeloma-related) and narrow (individual myeloma) specificities. The anti-idiotype antibodies were conjugated with fluorochromes and used as immunofluorescent probes to trace in the patients clonal expansion at different levels of B-cell differentiation. Our results (a) confirm that B lymphocyte precursors in IgA plasma-cell myelomas are involved in the malignant process, (b) show that B lymphocytes of the malignant clone include those expressing each of the major heavy-chain isotypes, mu, delta, gamma, and alpha, and (c) provide strong circumstantial evidence that pre-B-cell members of the malignant clone are also increased in frequency. T cells expressing idiotypic determinants were not detected. These findings argue that the initial oncogenic event may occur in a B-stem cell and is not influenced through stimulation by antigen. An interesting association was the increased frequency of related clones of B lymphocytes as detected by their reactivity with anti-idiotype antibodies of broad specificity. Neither plasma cell nor pre-B-cell members of these related clones were increased in frequency. Anti-idiotype antibodies or helper T cells reactive with myeloma-related idiotypes could be responsible for this phenomenon. We discuss other implications of these findings and speculate that all of the various phenotypes of B-lineage malignancies may result from oncogenic processes affecting stem cell targets.

Antibodies, Neoplasm↗