The serum immunoglobulins in lymphoproliferative malignancies.

Immune deficiency may be a prerequisite for or a consequence of the development of malignancies. This seems particularly true for lymphoproliferative disorders in which the proliferation of malignant cells and alterations of immunologic functions are closely connected. Our study was undertaken to determine whether the level of serum immunoglobulins is modified early and during the course of lymphoproliferative disorders. One hundred and thirty-two patients (38 Hodgkin's disease, 57 non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and 37 chronic lymphatic leukemia) were investigated at the time of diagnosis; 48 were reinvestigated after 6 months and 35 after 12 months. When mean values were considered, IgG was found to be higher (though not significantly) than in controls in the first stages of Hodgkin's disease; by contrast IgM was significantly lower from stage II to stage IV. No significant modification was found in lymphomas, while in CLL, IgG, IgA and IgM were definitely lower than in controls. CLL also disclosed the highest frequency of association of lowered immunoglobulins. Immunoglobulin levels did not show significant modifications during the course of the lymphoproliferative disorders studied. The scattering of individual values was the same in the three groups of malignancies and was not closely related to the stage of Hodgkin's disease and lymphoma.