Effects of smoking and age on serum levels of immune reactive proteins

In patients with head and neck squamous carcinoma, prior studies demonstrating correlations among levels of certain immunosuppressive acute phase proteins, tumor extent, and immune reactivity suggest that these protein levels may be useful parameters for assessing tumor status and clinical course after treatment. Because of the consistent association of chronic smoking with the development of cancers of the head and neck, the effects of smoking and age on levels of acute phase proteins (alpha 1-antitrypsin, haptoglobin, alpha 1-acid glycoprotein) and other immune reactive proteins (alpha 2HS-glycoprotein, prealbumin) were determined in smoking and nonsmoking normal subjects. In smokers, levels of alpha 1-antitrypsin were uniquely and significantly elevated and were not related to smoking extent or age. Levels of haptoglobin increased with smoking extent and age. In comparisons of age- and sex-matched smokers and nonsmokers, levels of alpha 1-acid glycoprotein increased with age among both groups. The demonstration of correlations of levels of immunosuppressive acute phase proteins with smoking extent and age among normal subjects suggests that changes in the levels of these proteins may be related etiologically to the association of smoking and age with the development of head and neck cancers.