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. 1995 Oct;72(4):934–938. doi: 10.1038/bjc.1995.436

Polymorphic epithelial mucin (MUC-1)-containing circulating immune complexes in carcinoma patients.

M M Gourevitch 1, S von Mensdorff-Pouilly 1, S V Litvinov 1, P Kenemans 1, G J van Kamp 1, A A Verstraeten 1, J Hilgers 1
PMCID: PMC2034033  PMID: 7547243

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.

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Selected References

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