Antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity against Epstein-Barr virus-associated antigens in African patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) was performed on serum samples from African patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) to determine whether antibody titers determined by this assay might be of prognostic value in this disease. The serum donors were divided into two groups: (1) those individuals who died within 2 years following diagnosis of NPC; and (2) individuals who responded well to therapy and surivived for more than 2 years following diagnosis. The ADCC GMT for the survivor group was significantly higher than the GMT for non-survivors (%5,410 versus 615). Interestingly, there were a number of discordant sera in the non-survivor group that had very low ADCC titers (less than 240) at diagnosis in the presence of high VCA titers. When ADCC titers were compared with anti-EA or IgA antibody titers to VCA, a statistically significant inverse correlation was noted. These data suggest that ADCC titers might be of prognostic importance in African NPC.