Ferritin, a sensitizing substance in the leucocyte migration inhibition test in patients with malignant lymphoma.

The nature of the factor in Hodgkin's disease involved spleen to which many patients with malignant lymphoma react in the leucocyte migration inhibition test has been investigated. Our results suggest that ferritin from Hodgkin's disease involved spleens is antigenically different to that prepared from normal spleen. Isoelectric focusing shows the presence of more acidic 'isoferritins' in ferritin prepared from Hodgkin's disease involved spleen than in that prepared from normal spleen. Further observations using the leucocyte migration inhibition test suggest that sensitization to the abnormal ferritin, acting as an onco-fetal tumour associated substance, may be responsible for the reaction of patients with malignant lymphoma in this test.