Primary immune response to Helix pomatia haemocyanin in malignant melanoma. Relationship between 19S and 7S antibody response and in vitro lymphocyte transformation.

The primary immune response to Helix pamatia haemocyanin (HPH) was investigated in sixty-one patients with various clinical signs of malignant melanoma and compared to that of controls. Anti-HPH antibody response was only found abnormal in patients with widespread disease and visceral metastases, apparent from decreased 7S and increased 19S antibody levels. In vitro HPH-induced lymphocyte transformation, in contrast, was not only decreased in this late stage, but also in part of the patients in the beginning of the disease and was then correlated with subsequent tumour recurrence within 6 months. Generally, patients with positive lymphocyte transformation showed significantly higher 7S anti-HPH titres (mean 3-3 +/- 2-4 than patients without (1-7 +/- 1-6). In contrast to the lymphocyte transformation reaction, anti-HPH antibody response was not correlated with subsequent tumour recurrence. The same phenomenon of decreased 7S and increased 19S antibody response as in the melanoma patients with far advanced disease was observed to a less extent in controls with ageing. Anamnestic antibody responses to diphtheria and tetanus toxoid and serum IgG and IgA levels were found normal. Elevated serum IgM levels were more frequently observed in patients with localized (19/31) and disseminated disease (11/29) than in controls (2/31). These results suggest that melanoma patients develop impaired T-lymphocyte functions in final stages with visceral metastases. A previous study showed that minor defects in lymphocyte function in an early stage as measured by HPH-induced lymphocyte transformation have predictive value for subsequent tumour recurrence.