Leucocyte adherence inhibition for detecting specific tumour immunity in early pancreatic cancer.

Tumour-specific immunity to pancreatic tumour antigens, assayed by an automated tube leucocyte-adherence inhibition assay (L.A.I.), was detected in 3 of 3 patients with localised pancreatic cancer and 3 of 8 patients with more extensive pancreatic cancer. Leucocytes from pancreatic cancer patients with L.A.I. reactivity did not react to antigens of stomach, colon, or lung tumours; leucocytes from patients with stomach, colon, or lung cancer of inflammatory disease of the pancreas and bowel did not show L.A.I. reactivity to pancreatic tumour antigens.