The prognostic value of postoperative serum immunoglobulin and complement component concentrations following gastric resection for carcinoma.

Patients clinically free from disease after potentially curative resection of gastric carcinoma, stages I, II and III (pTNM) were studied. The concentrations of immunoglobulins and complement components were quantified at 3-month intervals during the first year after surgery. The values in the individual patients showed no systematic variation with time while there was no clinical evidence of disease. The mean concentrations of C4 and C1-INH, however, were higher in 22 patients with later recurrence (0.43 +/- 0.10 and 0.43 +/- 0.07 g/l, respectively) than in 34 patients who were alive and disease-free at follow-up (0.36 +/- 0.07 and 0.36 +/- 0.04 g/l). The mean serum concentrations of IgG, IgA, IgM and C3 showed no intergroup difference. High levels of C4 and C1-INH postoperatively apparently indicate that the patient still harbours malignant disease with poor prognosis.