Studies on Delayed Type Allergy in Cancer Bearing Body Part I. Tuberculin-Allergy and its Passive Transfer in Cancer Patients

1) The tuberculin tests were given to 318 inpatients and it was found that among them the majority of cancer patients proved to be negative to the test. This fact seems to suggest that the mechanism of the delayed type allergic reaction is destroyed by cancer. 2) For the purpose of studying the delayed type allergy in cancer and non-cancer patients, the oxidation-inhibitory agent as the contactual allergy-inducing agent was smeared onto 82 patients hospitalized in our clinic. This smearing brought about a marked diminution in the allergic reaction in cancer patients. 3) When the tuberculin reaction of these cancer patients is classified according to the extent of cancer development, the negative rate to the test increases in proportion to the growt of cancer. 4) Looking at the relationship between the extent of the stomach cancer growth and the tuberculin test, it was demonstrated that the number of the patients responding negatively to the test increases along with the advance in cancer stage. 5) In our attelmpt at the pasaive transfer of 9×10(7) to 19×10(8) lymphoid cells, separated asceptically from the peritoneal lymph nodes obtained postoperatively from 15 tuberculin-positive donor non-cancer patients to 21 tuberculin-negative recipient cancer patients, it was demonstrated that 18 recipients turned positive to the tuberculin test. This result indicates that among the patients passive transfer can be accomplished with lymphoid cells isolated from lymph node.