ANALYSIS OF THE T-CELL RECEPTOR VARIABILITY OF TUMOR-INFILTRATING LYMPHOCYTES IN COLORECTAL CARCINOMAS

While there is good clinical and experimental evidence for immunologic al tumor control in some tumors-malignant melanomas, for instance-the immunogenicity of colorectal carcinoma (CRC) still remains unsettled. We examined surgical specimens from 4 CRC patients for T cell clones a mong tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL). The growth of specific lymp hocyte clones in a tumor indicates an immunological response in vivo. We used a T cell receptor V beta family-specific semiquantitative PCR with additional sequencing to examine TIL for clonal expansion. In CRC , Specific T cell clones could not be demonstrated. However, we observ ed a predominance of V beta 9 in 3 of 4 tumors.