Selection of optimal therapy for neuroblastoma: A Study of the Immunomodulatory Effects of Surgery and Irradiation in the Murine C1300 Neuroblastoma Model

Human neuroblastoma is an immunogenic tumor for which therapy directed in an immunologic context may offer some advantage over conventional treatment. This study examines the immunomodulatory effects of surgery and irradiation in the murine C1300 neuroblastoma model. In vivo studies of primary tumor growth characteristics after treatment demonstrated no superiority of either therapeutic modality in control of local tumor or prolongation of host survival. However, irradiated hosts showed an increased ability to reject a secondary tumor challenge, compared to their surgical counterparts. That this phenomenon may be immune‐related is suggested by in vitro studies of T lymphocyte function utilizing mixed lymphocyte‐tumor cell cultures and PHA lymphoblastogenesis.