1975-1995 REVISED ANTICANCER SEROLOGICAL RESPONSE - BIOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE AND CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS

In the 1970s a considerable amount of work was carried out in an attem pt to identify an anti-tumor serological response in cancer patients. These analyses have not been very informative due to the complexity an d heterogeneity of the response. More recently, the availability of re combinant molecules, synthetic peptides and analytic and semi-quantita tive assays has enabled a better dissection of humoral immunity. Antib odies against intracellular antigens (c-myb, c-myc, p53 and p21 ras) h ave been found in a significant, albeit varying, proportion of patient s bearing various tumors. Association with a poor prognosis is documen ted for anti-p53 antibodies in breast carcinoma patients. A number of cell surface antigens, including mucins, oncoproteins and carbohydrate antigens have been found to elicit a humoral immune response and, in some instances, circulating immune complexes were observed. A protecti ve role for or, on the other hand, masking effects of such antibodies is still controversial. An indication that a serological response can be beneficial comes from vaccination studies. A significant associatio n between the development of an anti-tumor antigen antibody response a nd prolonged survival was observed following vaccination of melanoma p atients with GM2 or anti-idiotypic antibodies which molecularly mimic tumor-associated antigens. It is to be hoped that in the near future t he numerous ongoing immunization trials and prognostic studies demonst rate whether antibody response can exert a protective role in vivo.