Serial measurement of circulating immune complexes in the sera of patients with leukaemia.
The occurrence of circulating immune complexes was studied in 220 sera of 86 patients with leukaemia. Three tests were used in parallel: the 125I-C1q-binding assay, the complement consumption test and C1q solubility test. Positive results in at least two assays were found in 64% of the patients and in 88% of the 32 serially investigated patients. An association was found between the elevated immune complex level and the blastic phase of the disease. A fluctuation of the immune complex level-independent of the clinical course of leukaemia-could also be demonstrated. The peaks of these types of fluctuations obtained by the different tests did not coincide on several occasions. These findings suggest that the composition of immune complexes changes in the course of the disease.
D000936:Antigen-Antibody Complex / Q000032:analysis*; D003172:Complement C1 / Q000032:analysis; D003168:Complement Fixation Tests; D006801:Humans; D007158:Immunologic Techniques / Q000379:methods; D007938:Leukemia / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology
D000936:Antigen-Antibody Complex; D003172:Complement C1