Prognostic Significance of Autoantibodies to Laminin in the Sera of Breast Cancer Patients: A Preliminary Report

Abstract

Interactions between cancer cells and laminin play an important role in the metastatic cascade. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the presence and the prognostic significance of autoantibodies to laminin in sera of patients with breast cancer. Our study population consisted of 71 high-risk primary breast cancer patients (median follow-up, 6 years). IgG, IgA and IgM were analysed at the time of surgery and before any treatment was given. Concentrations were measüred by enzyme immunoassay with a highly purified antigen. IgG, IgA and IgM anti-laminin median values were, respectively 117%, 130% and 97% of normal absorbance. Higher concentrations of IgM to laminin were found in pre-menopausal patients äs compared with post-menopausal patients (p < 0.001). Patients with high concentrations of IgG to laminin had lower disease-free (p = 0.003) and overall survival rates (p = 0.003). In breast cancer, assay of IgG to laminin could thus provide a cheap and easy prognostic index available for all patients.

Use of autoantibodies in breast cancer screening and diagnosis

“…However, laminin-specific autoantibodies correlate with a reduced disease-free interval and survival rate in breast cancer [77]. Poor prognostic features in breast cancer can also be associated with the presence of p53 autoantibodies (TABLE 2).…”

Modulation of the ovarian cancer humoral response by tumor-derived exosomes.

“…From the humoral immune perspective, the antitumor response is demonstrated through the production of specific antibodies against tumor antigen [68], which is often correlated with poor survival [119].These antibodies may be deposited as IgG autoantibodies in the neoplastic parenchyma [120] or released into the circulation as free entities and/or associated with microvesicles/exosomes [112,121]. Despite the presence of tumor-reactive IgG in the circulation of patients with various cancers including head and neck [122], melanoma [123], breast [124,125], and ovarian [121,126,127], an effective humoral antitumor response fails to be mounted. Protumorigenic effects mediated by TDE range from regulation of tumor growth to invasion, angiogenesis, and metastasis [128][129][130] through expression of molecules such as matrix metalloproteinases (MMP-2, MMP-9) [131,132] and horizontal transfer of growth factor receptors (EGFRvIII) [107].…”