1976 Volume 16pt2 Issue 1 Pages 37-45
Tumor cells or tumor fragments can often be found in the CSF of patients with brain tumor. Thus, it is considered possible to verify the existence of tumors by an immunological approach, due to the fact that tumor specific antigen (TSA) can easily be obtained from the CSF of patients by means of lumbal puncutre.
Our investigation has revealed that the serum in patients with glioma has tumor specific antibody against TSA. Therefore, this makes the immunological diagnosis of the brain tumor possible in man, using an immunoadherence hemagglutination technique in an autochthonous place.
Using the technique developed by the authors eighty nine cases of various brain diseases were investigated.
This immunoadherence hemagglutination technique revealed positive results in thirty seven of the fifty four with brain tumors. All cases except one of ependymoma showed positive reaction in glioblastomas, astrocytomas, ependymomas, and oligodendrogliomas. Eight of fourteen cases were positive in medulloblastomas. Thus, as for the gliomas, positive results were obtained in thirty of thirty five cases, or in 86 %.
Besides these tumors all cases of craniopharyngiomas and four out of five cases of pinealomas were positive, though the reactions were more feeble than in those of gliomas. One case of four metastatic brain tumors showed positive reaction. On the other hand, none of meningiomas, pituitary adenomas and dermoid cyst were positive. Considering these results, it is evident that, by means of this immunological diagnostic technique, it is possible to differentiate the gliomas from other brain tumors.
Besides these tumors, thirty five cases of non-neoplastic brain diseases were also investigated using this technique. Positive results were obtained in six of these cases, including one case of Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease and five cases of meningitis or encephalitis.
This technique is a very sensitive diagnostic procedure. In some cases by using this method abnormality in the central nervous system can be located before any other neurological diagnostic techniques could verify the existence of brain lesions.
This technique has also other advantages. It can be performed with a very small amount of specimen, ordinarily 0.5 ml of the CSF, at an usual clinical laboratory and within two hours. It is also possible to apply this technique to pre-operative histological diagnosis, and also in the evaluation of the effect of various therapy in the post-operative course.
It can be concluded that this technique is a useful way to screen test brain tumors, particularly in cases of gliomas.
