The immunologic diagnosis of cancer

Abstract

In view of the explosive nature of the advance in immunology in the last decade, it is inevitable that immunological techniques would be used in an attempt to facilitate the diagnosis of cancer. The purpose of this communication is to put into perspective the various attempts that have been made in this field, and to outline the possible outcome of such research. A great deal of fundamental work is still required to delineate the exact biological significance of tumour-specific antigens. Such work at the moment is being carried out in major tumour immunology centres throughout the world, and one would hope that the next ten years will witness the same rate of growth in the application of immunological techniques to the cancer problem that has been characteristic of basic immunological research in the last decade.