RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PROGRESSION OF DISEASE AND IMMUNOGLOBULIN-A ANTI-FAB F(AB')(2) AUTOANTIBODIES IN PATIENTS WITH HEAD AND NECK-CANCER/

Patients with malignant tumors of the head and neck often have immune defects, Higher serum immunoglobulin (Ig)A levels were reported in thi s group of patients. We investigated whether IgA-anti-Fab- or IgA-anti -F(ab')(2) autoantibodies, which have been shown to correlate with sev ere dysfunction of the immune system, also appear in patients with hea d and neck cancer. Sera of 110 patients with squamous cell carcinoma ( SCCHN), eight patients with adenoid cystic carcinoma, and 57 healthy c ontrol subjects were tested by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for I gA-anti-Fab autoantibody activity. Patients with head and neck cancer showed a higher IgA-anti-Fab activity (optical density (OD) = 399; n = 118) than did healthy control subjects (OD = 84; n = 57; p < 0.0001). An association between stage of disease and IgA-anti-Fab activity cou ld be established in patients with SCCHN, Patients with stage IV disea se had a significantly higher IgA-anti-Fab activity (OD = 538; n = 51) than had patients with stage I disease (OD = 283; n = 18; p < 0.05). Patients with stage II (OD = 293; n = 13) or stage III (OD = 379; n = 28) disease had intermediate activity. Also a higher IgA-anti-Fab acti vity than in healthy control subjects could be shown in the eight pati ents with adenoid cystic carcinoma (OD = 314; n = 8; p < 0.01). The hi ghest IgA-anti-Fab activity was observed in eight patients with SCCHN who died within 6 months after testing (OD = 1004; n = 8), suggesting an association between autoimmunity and final desintegration of physio logic body functions. The occurrence of IgA-anti-Fab/IgA-anti-F(ab')(2 ) autoantibodies might be interpreted as an aspect of immune deficienc y in patients with malignant tumors of the head and neck.