[Humoral immunity in human sarcomas]

Abstract

Studies on humoral immunity were performed in sarcoma patients before, during and after the treatment. Cytotoxic test was carried on with target cells of human mesenchymoma stable line. The activity of serum and its immunoglobulin fractions in 15 patients with soft tissue sarcoma and in 10 patients with congenital sarcoma was studied. It was found that 19S fraction of patient's blood serum contains cytotoxic antibodies. 7S fraction was permanently inactive. The whole serum was cytoloxic before the treatment in 8 of 12 patients with soft tissue sarcoma. Among 20 healthy donors only 3 were active. There was revealed a possibility of strong specific binding of 19S immunoglobulins (and more rarely of 7S immunoglobulins) with target-cells surface. It evidences the capacity of immunoglobulins to render not only cytotoxic action but also presumably, a blocking effect. Irradiation treatment in doses of 1800-9000 rad fail to diminish the cytotoxic activity of the whole serum and its 19S fraction.