Monocytes and other infiltrating cells in human colorectal tumours identified by monoclonal antibodies.

Monoclonal antibodies have been used to examine the patterns of infiltrating cells in colorectal tumours staged according to Dukes' classification. MAbs reacting with monocytes, but not tissue Mph, revealed a six-fold increase in monocytes in metastasizing C tumours compared to normal gut. The non-metastasizing B tumours could be divided into one group containing increased numbers of monocytes, and a second group comparable to control gut. T-cell numbers were increased in all tumour stages by an average 1.4-fold, which disguised the lack of consistent pattern in T-cell subset ratios in the tumour stromal tissue. However, in the tumour epithelium, there was a constant decrease in the Ts + c cell subset and a subsequent alteration in T-cell subset ratio in favour of Th + i cells. With the progression from Dukes' Stage B to C, there was an increase in the proportion of monocytes and T cells which were activated as detected by mAbs to the C3b receptor and IL-2 receptor, respectively. These observations suggest that an immune response is in progress in these colorectal tumours and that it is most active in the metastasizing Dukes' C tumours. Whether this response is elicited by the tumour or other elements, whether it is detrimental to tumour growth, or whether it is actively assisting tumour growth and possibly dissemination, are matters of conjecture.