Clinical trials employing the adoptive transfer of expanded tumor infiltrating lymphocytes to patients with metastatic disease are currently underway under the direction of the Surgery Branch, NCI. Our collaborative effort in this project involves immunocytochemical analysis of tumor cell suspensions to identify (1) the percentage and phenotypic expression of subsets of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes present in the tumor and (2) tumor markers, if any, which are expressed by the tumor cells. Once the tumor infiltrating lymphocyte cultures have been expanded and are to be harvested for patient therapy, we analyze the material using routine cytologic preparations and immunocytochemistry to ensure the cultures are free of tumor cells.
