HOMING OF POLYCLONALLY ACTIVATED SYNGENEIC T-CELLS AT TUMOR SITE AND THEIR EFFICACY IN POST OPERATIVE IMMUNOTHERAPY OF MALIGNANCY IN MOUSE

H-3-Thymidine labelled and polyclonally activated syngeneic lymphocyte s injected intravenously have been found to home preferentially at the fibrosarcoma site in mice from 12 h after adoptive transfer. The high est counts from infiltrating radiolabelled cells were obtained at 24 h at the centre of the tumour. Considering this value as maximum, all o ther values are expressed relative to this number. At 12 h lymphocyte infiltration at the periphery of the tumour mass was about 75%, follow ed by about 40% infiltration in the liver. After 24 h the central regi on of tumour mass showed the highest infiltration of radioactively lab elled lymphocytes, whereas in liver it remained 50%. There was decline in homing of the activated lymphocytes after 48 h of adoptive transfe r. These tumour site seeking activated lymphocytes are likely to recog nize the residual malignant cells after surgical removal of solid tumo ur, so these cells were adoptively transferred in conjunction with sur gery. It has been observed in such experiments, the reappearance of tu mour was prevented in 67% of mice and the survival of the hosts increa sed.