Anticardiolipin and antinuclear antibodies in cancer patients - A case control study

Objective To investigate patients with cancer for the frequency of IgG and IgM aCL an d ANA in comparison to a group of age- and sex-matched controls. Methods Serum levels of IgG and IgM anticardiolipin antibodies (aCL), antinuclear a ntibodies (ANA) and anticytoplasmic antibodies were evaluated in 145 cancer patients, including 20 patients with thromboembolic disease (TED) and comp ared with age- and sew-matched controls. Results Higher levels of IgG aCL were found in patients compared to controls (p < 0 .02). However there appeared to be no difference in serum aCL levels betwee n TED and the remaining cancer patients. No difference was found in the fre quency of antinuclear and anticytoplasmic antibodies between patients and c ontrols and the autoantibody presence in patients was usually not associate d with concomitant autoimmune disease. Conclusion Apart from increased levels of non-thrombogenic associated IgG aCL, there w as no evidence for significantly enhanced B cell autoreactivity in this lar ge collection of cancer patients compared to controls.