SERUM THERAPY FOR RADIATION-INDUCED IMPAIRMENT OF IMMUNE RESISTANCE TO METASTASIS

  • 1 January 1977
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 37  (10) , 3556-3560
Abstract
The use of serum transfusion to remedy radiation induced damage to established antitumor resistance was investigated in female C3H mice. The mice, which were actively immunized against a syngeneic mammary carcinoma, were injected i.v. and s.c. with suspensions of cells from the same tumor and were then given 300 R extensive field irradiation to the abdomen twice. Tumor cells implanted outside the irradiated area grew better in irradiated mice than in unirradiated controls. Under these experimental conditions, protection could be transferred to radiation impaired hosts with several injections of cell free immune serum. Transfers of normal serum provided a detectable, but low, degree of protection. The corrective effect of serum transfers to radiation impaired hosts was expressed against pulmonary tumor growth (i.v. challenge), provided the transfusions were started no later than the 1st day after injection of tumor cells. Serum transfusions were ineffective against the growth of tumors implanted s.c. Transfers of serum from hosts carrying large (15 mm) s.c. tumor implants had a negative effect on the resistance of irradiated recipients. Humoral resistance factors, normal and immune, may act against metastatic spread of solid tumors.