Quantification of polyethylene glycol precipitable circulating immune complex from carcinoma of cervix patients.

Changes in the level of circulating immune complexes (CIC) among Indian patients with untreated and treated squamous cell carcinoma of cervix and its correlation with the progression of the disease were studied. The quantitative determination of CIC was performed by precipitating the complex with 3% polyethylene glycol (PEG) and assaying the total protein content in the precipitate. The CIC level in serum was observed to increase gradually with the progression of the disease in CaCx and in stage III of the disease the CIC content was found to be more than double of the level obtained in normal healthy individual. The augmented CIC level in patients was found to reduce to normal levels after an interval of 104 weeks of surgery and 16 weeks of radiotherapy.