An assessment of sequential measurements of immune complex levels in ovarian cancer patients with respect to clinical progress.

An evaluation of immune-complex levels as an additional parameter in the clinical follow-up of ovarian cancer patients is described. These patients were treated aggressively with monthly chemotherapy following surgery. Sequential measurements of immune-complex levels have been carried out concurrently and clinical findings were recorded in a uniform manner suitable for comparison with the levels of immune complexes. The relationships between changes in tumor mass and changes in levels of immune complexes were investigated. A significant relationship between decreasing immune-complex levels and simultaneously decreasing tumor mass was found. Chemotherapy was associated with a decrease in immune-complex levels which increased again within 1 month. These data did not support an effective role for immune-complex levels in the evaluation of these patients.