Ferritin levels and circulating immune complexes in patients with solid tumors.

The level of ferritin and circulating immune complexes (IC) were measured in 53 patients with solid tumors and metastasis using C1q binding assay and the conglutinin binding assay. The level of circulating IC was increased in patients (p less than 0.001) as compared to the controls. Ferritin level was increased in both male and female patients (p less than 0.001), even when the ferritin value was corrected by the aspartic transaminase value, to take for hepatic damage in account. Ferritin was not found to be an important component of immune complexes as IC ferritin did not exceed 2 per cent of total serum ferritin in the 10 patients that were investigated. These results suggest that ferritin levels and circulating IC were increased in patients with solid tumors and metastasis, but that these two parameters are not correlated.