Immunodiagnosis in ovarian cancer: blocking factor activity.

Tumor immunology studies have been utilized for development of a blocking factor assay for therapy monitoring in ovarian cancer. The blocking factor index was defined as the arithmetic difference between assays conducted in the presence and absence of the patient's serum compared to incubations with normal control lymphocytes. Eighteen advanced ovarian epithelial malignancies have shown blocking factor activity during treatment. Blocking factor has abated in eight patients whose clinical disease completely regressed. Chemotherapy was discontinued after 18 to 24 months. In 10 patients, blocking factor persisted and chemotherapy has been continued. Some of these patients showed decreasing blocking factor; others have shown increases, which led to death due to disseminated disease in four cases. Blocking factor activity was found to correlate with tumor growth.

Duke Scholars

Author Mary T Story Family Medicine and Community Health