Antibody-producing Capacity in Human Cancer

Abstract

SUMMARY.-The antibody response to primary immunization with monomeric flagellin from Salmonella adelaide was studied in 61 patients with cancer and antibody-producing capacity was correlated with survival. In 27 patients suffering from " active " cancer, antibody-producing capacity was significantly depressed (P < 0 05) as compared with sick but not cancerous controls; in 13 such patients who survived more than 6 months after immunization, antibodyproducing capacity was moderately depressed, whereas in 14 who survived less than 6 months, the capacity was markedly depressed. In 34 patients with " cured " cancer, by surgery and/or radiotherapy, antibody-producing capacity was significantly greater than that of the " hospital " controls and patients with " active " cancer, but yet was significantly less than that of healthy subjects. Three explanations for the findings were considered: an immunodepressive effect of general debility, an immunodepressive effect specific to cancer and, on the other hand, the occurrence of cancer preferentially in individuals with an impaired capacity for antibody production. The present findings gained added relevance from recent evidence that a specific humoral immune response is evoked by antigens of certain types at least of human cancer.

Quantification of CEA in Human Gastrointestinal Cancers Grown in <i>in vitro </i>Long-Term Organotypic Culture

“…Our find ings also correlate nicely with the findings of Egan and Todd (1972) who demonstrated that more CEA could be obtained from the culture medium of colonic adenocarcinoma cells cultured in vitro than can be extracted from the cells. These findings may be associated with the reports that patients with metastatic nodules often have impaired cell-mediated immune reactions (Lenin et al, 1970;Lee et al, 1970;GaM et al, 1970) which have also been correlated with poor survival.…”

Immune competence in breast cancer ? Relationship of pretreatment immunologic tests to diagnosis and tumor stage

“…Antibody responses to antigen administration in cancer patients have been reported as being both normal (Leskowitz et al, 1957;Southam, 1968) and depressed (Lytton et al, 1964;Lee et al, 1970). Serum immunoglobulin levels in cancer patients have not been extensively investigated but Hughes (1971) found no significant differences in IgG, IgA, or IgM levels in 216 breast cancer patients as compared with 150 normal female controls.…”

Measurement of Antibody-Producing Capacity in Man

“…2. Geometric mean peak titres in response to immunization with flagellin show ing data for healthy female controls, healthy male controls and hospital male controls [1], data obtained in present study for disease groups indicated, and data for patients with cancer [13]. Differences from controls were significant for bronchitis, infections and possibly for postgastrectomy states, and also for cancer [13], The hatched area represents IgG.…”

“…However, it cannot be stated to what extent immunodepression is a cause or an effect of a particular chronic disease, be this cancer [13] or chronic infection. In the case of chronic infections including bronchitis, impaired antibody-producing capacity could result from effects such as antigenic overstimulation [14] and 'immune exhaustion', antigenic competition [15] or unrecognized effects of antibiotic treatment on immune function.…”