title: Polymorphic epithelial mucin (MUC-1)-containing circulating immune complexes in carcinoma patients.
abstract: Circulating immune complexes (CICs) containing polymorphic epithelial mucin (PEM/MUC-1) were found in sera of 24.5% of 151 primary breast carcinoma patients and 18-21.4% of patients with advanced ovarian (n = 56) and breast carcinomas (n = 61), 37% of patients with benign breast tumours, but in only 2.1% of 96 healthy individuals. The incorporation of PEM into CICs affects the detection of circulating PEM in commercial immunoassays such as the CA 15-3 assay, as suggested by a negative correlation between levels of PEM-containing immune complexes (PEM-CICs) and CA 15-3 values, and confirmed by isolation of PEM from CA 15-3-negative sera containing high levels of PEM-CICs. The amounts of PEM masked by human antibodies correspond to significant values of the CA 15-3 assay when monitoring patients for carcinoma. Most antibodies in PEM-CICs were of IgG class, suggesting their specific nature to the PEM epitopes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Free University Hospital, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Gourevitch
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: von Mensdorff-Pouilly
authors.forename: S V
authors.initials: SV
authors.lastname: Litvinov
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kenemans
authors.forename: G J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: van Kamp
authors.forename: A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Verstraeten
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hilgers
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000936:Antigen-Antibody Complex / Q000097:blood*; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D018396:Mucin-1 / Q000097:blood; D009077:Mucins / Q000097:blood*; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000936:Antigen-Antibody Complex; D001323:Autoantibodies; D018396:Mucin-1; D009077:Mucins