Characterisation of breast cancer infiltrates using monoclonal antibodies to human leucocyte antigens

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Abstract
Serial frozen sections from 11 patients with malignant breast tumors and 5 patients with benign disease were studied by indirect immunoperoxidase using a panel of mouse monoclonal antibodies to human leukocyte antigens. More infiltrating leukocytes were seen in tumor sections than those of benign conditions. A considerable proportion of the infiltrating cells were T cells, and more of these were of the suppressor/cytotoxic subset than the helper/inducer subset. The T cells were apparently not all activated as indicated by lower levels of staining with anti HLA-DR than anti-leukocyte antibody. Diffuse staining was sometimes seen with HLA-DR and T cell subset antibodies. Tumor cells did not stain or were only very weakly positive with anti-HLA-A-A, B and C.