INDUCTION OF CYTOLYTIC ACTIVITY OF LYMPHOCYTES FROM CARCINOMATOUS PLEURAL EFFUSION BY IL-2 AND AUTOLOGOUS TUMOR

We established a cell line (STKM-1) from tumor cells obtained from car cinomatous pleural effusion of a gastric cancer patient. The lymphocyt es separated from her peripheral blood or pleural effusion were cryopr eserved and immunological experiments were performed after the establi shment of the cell line. They were treated with IL-2 or with both IL-2 and mitomycin C (MMC)-treated autologous STKM-1 cells. The cytolytic activity against STKM-1 cells was elevated in lymphocytes cultured wit h IL-2, and was more prominently augmented in lymphocytes cultured wit h both IL-2 and MMC-treated STKM-1 cells. The elevation in cytolytic a ctivity was more marked with pleural effusion lymphocytes than with th e peripheral blood lymphocytes. The results suggest that the lymphocyt es obtained from the pleural effusion would be an excellent source for adoptive immunotherapy.