Immune responses to tumour and embryo cells in patients with mammary carcinoma

Cytotoxicity microassays were used to study cellular and humoral responses of patients with breast carcinoma against in vitro cultured target cells of breast carcinomata and of human embryos. Peripheral lymphocytes were cytotoxic on both target cell types, whereas sera exerted a complement dependent cytotoxicity on breast cancer cells only. The immunosensitivity of the breast cancer cells to patient lymphocytes was augmented by restraining cell growth before test with a decreased quantity of foetal calf serum.