Prognostic significance of autoantibodies against tropomyosin in patients with colorectal adenocarcinoma

We examined, with an enzyme-linked immunoadsorbent assay (ELISA) method, th e serum of 55 patients with Colon Adenocarcinoma (CA) for the presence of a utoantibodies against tropomyosin (TMS), of IgM and IgG isotypes, before an d 1 month after surgery. Twenty-six (26) patients with benign surgical dise ases (BSD) (hernia or cholelithiasis) and 40 healthy volunteers were used a s controls. Preoperatively, 20/55 (36.3%) of CA patients and 2/26 (7.7%) of BSD patients were positive for anti-TMS antibodies, while postoperatively, the positive samples were 22/55 (40%) and 2/26 (7.7%), respectively. The d ifference between the group of CA patients and the two control groups was s tatistically significant (p < 0.001), The presence of anti-TMS antibodies h as been associated with better outcome of CA patients: 30 CA patients (30/5 5, 54.5 %) had detectable anti-TMS antibodies either preoperatively or post operatively and 25 CA patients (25/55, 45%) were completely negative in bot h occasions, In the first group of patients, four (4) recurrences were dete cted (4/30, 13.3%) while in the second group nine (9) recurrences were foun d (9/25, 36%), The difference between the two groups was statistically sign ificant (p < 0.01). Anti-tropomyosin antibodies could be used as biological markers of prognosis in colon cancer patients.