A MURINE MODEL FOR THE IMMUNOTHERAPY OF HEAD AND NECK SQUAMOUS-CELL CARCINOMA

A murine model for the immunotherapy of head and neck cancer was estab lished. The AT-84 tumor, a spontaneously arising oral squamous cell tu mor of C3H mice, was evaluated for susceptibility to lymphokine-activa ted killer (LAK) cells. In vitro chromium-release assays demonstrated that AT-84 is sensitive to LAK-cell-mediated killing. Furthermore, in vivo experiments employing a lung metastasis model demonstrated a 50% reduction in the number of metastases in LAK-cell-treated mice as comp ared with untreated controls (P-2=.001). These experiments showed that AT-84 is an appropriate model for the immunotherapy of head and neck cancer. This model should be invaluable for further study of the mecha nisms involved in immune-mediated therapy of head and neck cancer.