Circulating immune complexes in patients with malignant lymphomas and solid tumors.
Sera from 50 patients with Hodgkin's disease, 78 patients with non-Hodgkin non-leukemic malignant lymphomas, and 75 patients with different types of solid malignant tumors were investigated for the presence of immune complexes using the (125I) C1q-binding test. All patients were untreated. An increased serum C1q-binding activity was found in 22% of the patients with Hodgkin's disease, 35.9% of the non-Hodgkin lymphoma patients and in 37.3% of the patients with solid tumors. The C1q-binding material detected in the patients' sera had properties similar to those of immune complexes. On sucrose density gradient it sedimented as a 10-30 s material. It contained IgG which were dissociated under acid conditions. Passage through anti-IgG immunoabsorbent removed its C1q-binding properties. A prevalent association was found between the presence of serum immune complexes and disseminated disease stages in all the patient groups included. A similar association was found between the presence of serum immune complexes and general symptoms among the malignant lymphoma patients. The nature of the antigens involved in the complexes remains unknown.
D000328:Adult; D000936:Antigen-Antibody Complex; D003172:Complement C1; D005260:Female; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006801:Humans; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology*; D014461:Ultracentrifugation
D000936:Antigen-Antibody Complex; D003172:Complement C1