Correlation of Fc gamma receptors on peripheral blood mononuclear cells and survival in patients with metastatic breast cancer.

Patients with carcinomas have elevated levels of Fc receptors for IgG (Fc gamma R) on their peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). The purpose of the present study was to determine whether there is a correlation between Fc gamma R levels on PBMC and survival in patients with metastatic breast cancer. Binding assays were performed on PBMC using 125I-labeled fibrinogen complexed with rabbit IgG (or as a control F(ab')2) anti-human fibrinogen. Twenty-two metastatic breast cancer patients had significantly (p less than 0.001) elevated Fc gamma R levels as compared to either 22 breast cancer patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy following mastectomy without clinical evidence of tumor, or to 34 non-malignant controls. Significantly more metastatic patients with elevated Fc gamma R levels died at 6 months (p less than 0.001) as compared to those with low levels. A direct correlation between Fc gamma R levels and hazard probability was found (correlation coefficient = 0.3321, p less than 0.005). These results raise the possibility that Fc gamma R levels on PBMC from metastatic breast cancer patients may be clinically useful as a prognostic marker of disease activity.