Open AccessRheumatoid factor and tumor-host interaction.
Author(s) -
Jeremiah J. Twomey,
Roger D. Rossen,
Verna M. Lewis,
Arline H. Laughter,
Charles C. Douglass
Publication year - 1976
Publication title -
proceedings of the national academy of sciences of the united states of america
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.011
H-Index - 771
eISSN - 1091-6490
pISSN - 0027-8424
DOI - 10.1073/pnas.73.6.2106
Subject(s) - medicine , rheumatoid factor , host factors , oncology , multiple myeloma , incidence (geometry) , chemotherapy , immunology , rheumatoid arthritis , virus , physics , optics
In this survey for rheumatoid factor (RF) seropositivity on patients with neoplasms, an 85% rate of positive screening tests was recorded under certain circumstances. This high rate of RF seropositivity occurred after irradiation and/or chemotherapy of breast and lung cancers. Treated patients with breast cancers who had no evidence of residual tumor had an 89% rate of positive RF tests. Conversely, the incidence of RF seropositivity was low among untreated patients with similar tumors and treated patients with glioblastomas or multiple myeloma. The administration of cytotoxic drugs (e.g., azathiprene) was not itself associated with RF production even in renal allograft recipients. The data indicate that RF production occurs frequently after therapy of certain tumors and suggest that in these circumstances RF may be an expression of tumor-host interaction.