title: Postoperative infections and variations of complement components in cancer patients.
abstract: Sequential determinations of C4 and factor B serum levels were performed pre- and postoperatively in 56 cancer patients. Patients who underwent radical mastectomy and excision of melanoma had an incidence of surgical infections of 7% and 15%, respectively, and showed a significant postoperative acute-phase increase of C4 and factor B serum levels. A higher incidence of postoperative infections, mostly Gram negative, was recorded in patients who underwent gastric resection (35%) and colorectal resection (73%); these failed to show an early acute-phase response of complement postoperatively. The results of this study confirm the high susceptibility of cancer patients to postoperative infections. Moreover, the lack of postoperative acute-phase increase of C4 and factor B observed in cancer patients who developed postoperative infections suggests an active role of complement in host defense mechanisms against surgical infections.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003181:Complement C4 / Q000032:analysis*; D011415:Complement Factor B / Q000032:analysis; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007710:Klebsiella Infections / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology* / Q000601:surgery; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000453:epidemiology; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011512:Proteus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D003181:Complement C4; D011415:Complement Factor B