It has been recognized that macrophage migration inhibition test (MIT) would duly reflect various phases of cellular immunity in vitro, including delayed hypersensitivity, transplantation and anti-tumor immunity. The studies of cell-mediated immunity have been undertaken in vitro by the MIT on 73 patients with operable gynecologic tumor and on 10 mice bearing uterine tumor induced by 20-methylcholanthrene.
Eighty-six per cent of 29 patients with malignant tumors-choriocarcinoma, ovarian cancer and carcinoma of the uterine cervix and corpus-revealed positive migration inhibitory activity immediately after extirpation of pathology. On the contrary, all of the cases with benign tumor revealed negative reaction.
Out of 16 positive patients who were able to be followed, 12 cases received complete removal of pathology and disclosed negative reaction 35 to 60 days after the initial test. The reaction of four patients with wide-spread metastasis remained positive for more than 3 months after surgery.
Besides, the migration inhibitory activity were detected in only one out of 5 cases with invasive mole and 11 out of 33 patients with hydatidiform mole.
In addition, the positive reaction on MIT was presented in 90% of the mice bearing uterine tumor and cross reaction was also observed in some cases.
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