A study of the humoral immune response of breast cancer patients to a panel of human tumor antigens identified by phage display.
OBJECTIVE
In this article we provide evidence of a significant spontaneous humoral response in cancer patients.


METHODS
A panel of tumor-associated antigens, previously identified through serological screening of phage-displayed cDNA libraries from solid human tumors, breast carcinoma cell lines and human testis by employing breast cancer patient sera, was used in this study to survey sera from 182 patients with known disease histories and clinical stages.


RESULTS
This analysis reveals a statistically significant association between tumor disease and presence in peripheral blood of IgG antibodies against four autoantigens. One of these antigens (D7-1) is particularly interesting in that the antibody response against it grows with cancer progression from stages I through IV, with an incidence of 13.2, 13.5, 18.2 and 27%, respectively. The significance of this stage-dependent increase in the incidence is confirmed by the Mantel-Haenszel Chi-squared test (P=0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Our data confirm association between breast cancer diagnosis of patients and presence in their peripheral blood of antibodies against several autoantigens identified by phage display.
Pavoni
Emiliano
E
Kenton Labs, c/o Sigma-Tau, S.p.A., Via Pontina km 30.400, Pomezia 00040, Rome, Italy.
Pucci
Andrea
A
Vaccaro
Paola
P
Monteriù
Giorgia
G
Ceratti
Adolfo De Pasquale
Ade P
Lugini
Antonio
A
Virdis
Rosa A
RA
Cortesi
Enrico
E
De Gaetano
Andrea
A
Panunzi
Simona
S
Felici
Franco
F
Minenkova
Olga
O
D000328:Adult; D000917:Antibody Formation; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000378:metabolism; D001324:Autoantigens / Q000737:chemistry; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000737:chemistry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000097:blood*; D019151:Peptide Library; D010957:Plasmids / Q000378:metabolism
D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D001324:Autoantigens; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D019151:Peptide Library