A serum immune factor in detection of an occupational group with increased risk for lung and nose cancer.

Epidemiological studies have demonstrated that workers in the nickel refinery industry have an increased risk for respiratory tract carcinoma. In the present study, serum from 51 workers at a Norwegian nickel refinery have been tested against lung, nasal and breast carcinoma antigens in the humoral leukocyte adherence inhibition test. The breast cancer antigen was used as a non-specific antigen. The frequency of positive response against the lung carcinoma antigen was significantly higher among the refinery workers (21/51) than in the controls (3/17) (P = 0.07). Moreover, among workers employed for 10 years or more, the response was higher than found for workers with shorter employment. Of the nickel workers with nasal dysplasia, 56% (15/27) gave a positive reaction against the lung carcinoma antigen compared to 25% (6/24) of the workers without dysplasia (P = 0.03). The same trends were also found for the nasal carcinoma antigen. The study gives further support for the usefulness of the humoral leukocyte adherence inhibition test in identification of individuals with an increased risk for developing cancer.