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8170105 
Journal Article 
Cancer immunity: The effect in cancer-immunotherapy of polymerised autologous tumor tissue and supportive measures 
Tallberg, T; Tykka, H; Halttunen, P 
1979 
1 
Scandinavian Journal of Clinical and Laboratory Investigation
ISSN: 0036-5513
EISSN: 1502-7686 
39 
SUPPL. 151 
English 
A description is given of the results obtained in a preliminary study of cancer immunity and the different factors involved, which was begun in 1971. Active specific immunotherapy was employed, with the use of polymerised, insolubilised autologous tumour tissue with adjuvants. A wide variety of parameters were screened to monitor the physiological response in tumour patients. In regard to immunological tests, only the delayed hypertensivity reaction and lymphocyte count seemed to be of any help in evaluation of the immunotherapy response. Other factors of the defence mechanism appeared to be more helpful. The complement C'3 activation coincided with a tumourolytic effect. Specific changes in granulocyte chalone activity were registered with patient sera. Lymphocyte activity could be brought to normal levels following supportive measures. These supportive measures consisted of the oral administration of some natural amino-acids, essential trace-elements and lipid-soluble factors derived from mammalian central nervous tissue. Our supportive measures were aimed at the correction of alleged metabolic dysfunctions in the tumour patient. Experimental results with leukemia in rats induced by chloroma cells indicated that the administration of one group of amino-acids (Ala, Val, Ile, Leu), together with two trace-elements (Cr, Mn), could prevent the induction of leukemia in 50% of cases. In 50 patients suffering from hypernephroma, active immunotherapy with supportive measures gave a highly significant (p<0.001) improvement in life expectation. Beneficial clinical effects were also registered with other histological types of malignancy. In certain cases, supportive measures alone had an inhibitory effect upon the clinical progress of the neoplastic disease. Further randomised clinical trials are being pursued with equal importance attached to both active immunotherapy and supportive measures.