Serum immunoglobulins in women with breast cancer.

Serum immunoglobulins were determined in 120 women with breast cancer. A strong association between age at tumor diagnosis and serum IgA levels was noted. Relative hypoglobulinemia of IgA was associated with appearance of tumors early in life, and was more frequent among women with family history of breast cancer and among those with poor prognosis. A strong association between levels of serum IgG and parity was noted. Parous women and/or those who had good prognosis had higher levels of serum IgG, compared to nulliparous women and those with poor prognosis. The observations indicate that serum immunoglobulins may be useful in the identification of women who have a high breast cancer risk and poor prognosis.