IMMUNITY REACTIONS IN CANCER 515 



V. Dungern^" has described positive complement fixation reactions, 

 partially specific for cancer and benign tumors, by using alcoholic 

 extracts of the tumors or acetone extracts of human erythrocytes as 

 antigen, but he interprets these reactions as not due to specific anti- 

 bodies, but to abnormal products of metabolism.''^ The complement 

 content of the blood is said to be slightly increased in cancer (Engel),^- 

 but there is nothing characteristic about this. Ascoli and Izar*^ 

 have applied the mciostagmin test {q. v.) and state that this gives 

 very positive results in determining the existence of cancer, their 

 work having been corroborated by many but not by all of those who 

 have repeated it.^^ Burmeister'"'^ could obtain no reliable results with 

 the epiphanin reaction. 



Freund and Kaminer'"' have found that the serum of cancer pa- 

 tients is unable to dissolve cancer cells, as normal serum does, and 

 even protects them against the lytic power of normal serum. The 

 lysis is ascribed to a non-nitrogenous fatty acid, while the protective 

 agent of cancer serum is said to be a "nucleo-globulin" which is in- 

 creased in the serum in cancer. They also find that cancer extracts 

 give a specific turbidity or precipitation with cancer serum, which 

 is attributed to a carbohydrate content of the extract. According 

 to Kraus and v. Graff" the serum of full term, pregnant women, 

 and normal umbilical cord serum, behave like serum from cancer 

 patients. In support of Freund and Kaminer's observation is the 

 experiment of Neuberg^^ who found that cancer cells plus normal 

 serum underwent digestion more rapidly than cancer cells plus cancer 

 serum, as measured by the incoagulable nitrogen. A critical test of 

 many recommended methods of serum diagnosis of cancer by Hal- 

 pern^^ gave disappointing results. With the von Dungern technic he 

 obtained 80 per cent, of positive results, with the meiostagmin reaction 

 85 per cent., but with the Abderhalden method but 30 per cent. The 

 other methods he finds of little value. The testimony concerning the 

 specificity of the Abderhalden reaction (q. v.) in cancer is so conflicting 

 that it seems unprofitable to discuss it, the results varying from such 



«» Miinch. med. Woch., 1912 (59), 65,1093 and 285-4; also Rosenberg, Deut.med. 

 Woch., 1912 (38), 1225. 



^^ Farmachidis (Riforma med., 1918 (34), 382) states that onh^ with maUgnant 

 disease occurs the activation by cobra venom of the hemolytic action of the serum 

 in the complement fixation reaction. 



«- Deut. med. Woch., 1910 (36), 986. Not corroborated by Ordway and Kel- 

 lert, Jour. Med. Research, 1913 (28), 287. 



" Munch, med. Woch., 1910 (57), 2129; Biochem. Zeit., 1910 (29), 13. 



" See Rosenberg, Deut. med. Woch., 1913 (39), 926; Wissung, Berl. klin. Woch., 

 1915 (52), 998. Roffo, Revista Inst. Bact., Buenos Aires, 1917 (1), 53. 



" See Burmeister, Jour. Inf. Dis., 1913 (12), 459; Bruggemann, Mitt. Grenz. 

 :Med. u. Chir., 1913 (25), 877. 



«« Biochem. Zeit., 1912 (46), 470; Wicn. klin. Woch., 1911 (24), 1759; 1913 

 (26), 2108. 



" Wien. klin. Woch., 1911 (24), 191. 



«s Biochem. Zeit., 1910 (26), 344. 



" Mitt. Grenz. Med. Chir., 1913 (27). 370. See also Mioni, Tum6ri, 1914 (3), 

 697. 



