EVALUATION OF CIRCULATING IMMUNE COMPLEXES IN PATIENTS WITH MALIGNANT AND PRE-MALIGNANT DISEASE CONDITIONS OF THE BREAST IN SOUTH-EASTERN NIGERIA

Background: Breast cancer remains intractable and is the most frequently diagnosed cancer among women globally. In Nigeria, the incidence of breast cancer is increasing with late presentation and poor clinical outcome. Human breast cancer cells have long been shown to possess tumour neoantigens with some genetic variables and expressions in different racial/ethnic groups and this may result in the production of specific circulating immune complexes. Circulating immune complexes have been associated with breast cancer and effectively utilized for diagnosis, prognosis and response to treatment in advanced countries. There is need therefore, for similar studies aimed at establishing the clinical utility of CIC in South-East Nigerian environment.

Patients and Methods: Circulating immune complexes were estimated in 64 breast cancer (24 early stage and 40 advanced stage breast cancer), 40 benign breast tumour patients and 40 apparently healthy age-matched control subjects by immunoenzymatic assay. The subjects were recruited from two hospitals in Ebonyi and Enugu States, Nigeria. The CIC estimation was done in pre-treatment and at intervals (3 and 6 months) after various forms of treatment in cancer patients and benign breast tumor and results compared.

Results: Our results showed incidence of raised pre-treatment CIC in 28%, 15% and 0.05% of the breast cancer patients, benign breast tumor and apparently healthy age-matched control respectively. No significant differences in CIC were found between treatment and disease groups. The highest levels in mean CIC were seen in the advanced stage breast cancer patients and the mean value was greater than that of the controls.

Conclusion: The diagnostic utility of CIC is therefore queried probably due to increased triggers for immunocomplex formation in this environment. There is need therefore, for development of antigen-specific CIC determinations that may have diagnostic and or prognostic value in this racial/ethnic environment.