title: Association of IgA-anti-Fab autoantibodies with disease stage in head-and-neck cancer.
abstract: Patients with head-and-neck cancer commonly have immune defects. It was reported that these patients have raised serum IgA levels. We investigated whether IgA-anti-Fab autoantibodies, which occur in association with immune dysfunction, are present in patients with head-and-neck cancer. Sera of 101 patients with squamous-cell carcinoma (SCCHN) and 8 patients with adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACCHN) of the head and neck were tested in ELISA for IgA-anti-Fab autoantibody activity. IgA-anti-Fab serum activity was significantly higher in both SCCHN and ACCHN patients than in healthy controls. In patients with SCCHN, an association between disease stage and IgA-anti-Fab activity was established. Stage-IV patients had significantly higher IgA-anti-Fab than stage-I patients or healthy controls. Stage-II and stage-III patients had intermediate levels. Extremely high IgA-anti-Fab activity was observed in 7 patients who died within 6 months following testing, suggesting a relationship of autoimmunity with terminal disintegration of physiological body functions. IgA-anti-Fab autoantibodies may explain the occurrence of immune defects in patients with head-and-neck cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Transplantation Immunology, University of Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Süsal
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Maier
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lorenz
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Opelz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood*; D003528:Carcinoma, Adenoid Cystic / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007070:Immunoglobulin A / Q000097:blood* / Q000737:chemistry; D007140:Immunoglobulin Fab Fragments / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D007070:Immunoglobulin A; D007140:Immunoglobulin Fab Fragments