[Circulating immune complexes of patients with malignant lymphomas (author's transl)]

Using the 125J-Clq deviation method according to Sobel, the polyethylenglycol precipitation test of Nydegger, and a Sepharose 6B column chromatography in a modification of MacLennan's method, circulating immune complexes (CIC) have been detected in 20--27% of patients with Hodgkin's lymphoma, in 8% of patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma of low, and in 20--40% with high malignancy. CIC appeared in advanced stages of the diseases and correlated well with the activity of the disease. CIC disappeared in remissions and reappeared during reactivation of the disease. CIC were only found in patients with general symptoms, i.e. B-symptoms. The pathogenetic role of CIC in the initiation of B-symptoms and in tumor spread is still not fully explained. The antibody part of the CIC is IgG, the antigenic component has not yet been characterized.