Failure of Immunization Against Tumorigenesis2

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Abstract
Previous work from several laboratories established the existence of tumor-specific antigenicity in mouse sarcomas induced by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The possible existence of cross-reactions among various independently induced tumors provided the theoretical rationale for an attempt to immunize against carcinogenesis by exposure of mice to an antigenic tumor prior to exposure to the carcinogen. Fourteen trials involving a total of 20 different tumors were performed. Of 421 mice immunized, 267, or 63 percent became tumorous as a result of exposure to carcinogen. In a comparable period, 237, or 65 percent, of 375 unimmunized control mice developed tumors. Although one individual experiment apparently indicated immunization, the over-all results were completely negative.