Humoral immune competence in breast cancer patients

Pretreatment serum immunoglobulins (IgG, IgA and IgM) have been estimated quantitatively in women with histologically proven primary breast cancer. The values were compared with the patients with benign breast lesions and normal healthy controls. No serum immunoglobulins were found to be altered in benign breast disease patients. Whereas, in breast cancer patients IgG levels were significantly reduced and IgA levels were significantly raised at the time of diagnosis. There were no significant differences found in serum IgM concentration. In patients with breast cancer, IgG was significantly reducing with the progression of the disease and IgA was significantly increasing from stage II to IV. Immunoglobulin levels were found to be stage related and proportional to the tumor load.