Serum immunoglobulins in breast cancer

Eighty-one women admitted for breast tumor biopsy have been followed sequentially for 12 months. Thirty-one women had clinical stage I and II breast cancer and 50 had benign breast disease. All these women had serum immunoglobulin IgA, IgG, IgM and IgE levels measured by immunodiffusion and radioimmunoassay preoperatively, two weeks postoperatively, then three months, six months, nine months and twelve months postoperatively. Significant differences were found in IgA and IgG levels preoperatively in the cancer group while no differences were found in IgM or IgE levels at any time. There was positive correlation between the extent of metastatic breast cancer and IgA level. There was negative correlation between the extent of metastatic breast cancer and IgM levels. These findings raise the value of measuring the levels of immunoglobulins in patients with breast cancer as a guide to subclinical spread of the disease. The results may also support the hypothesis of the role of early immune defect in immunoglobulin metabolism in the pathogenesis of breast cancer.