IMMUNOTHERAPY FOR RECURRENT SPONTANEOUS-ABORTION AND ITS ANALOGIES TO TREATMENT FOR CANCER

An immunologic etiology for recurrent spontaneous abortion has been proposed for many couples with otherwise unexplained reproductive wastage. 1,2 Since the first reports of successful pregnancy following leukocyte transfusions in 1981, 3,4 interest in the possibility that immunotherapy might prevent recurrent spontaneous abortions has been generated. Therapy is based on the concept that successful pregnancy requires or is markedly enhanced by maternal allogeneic recognition. 5 However, skepticism toward immunotherapy has been growing because evidence supporting the rationale for treatment has been lacking. Data providing such support is now rapidly accumulating. It is the purpose of this paper to present the evidence supporting the rationale for immunotherapy in the treatment of recurrent spontaneous abortion, to summarize the literature describing results of immunotherapy for treatment of recurrent spontaneous abortion, and to describe the potential application of the understanding of such pathologic response to pregnancy to the treatment of cancer.