Complement and its fractions (C3-C4) pattern in subjects with neoplasia.

The total complement (CH50) and its fractions C3 and C4 have been assayed for up to two years after surgery in subjects with breast, gastric and colon-rectum carcinomas. In all three types of pathology a constant pattern has been observed. Before surgery the CH50 stayed below the normal range but was increased following surgery. After a month it was again within the normal range and subsequently, according to the clinical evolution of the disease, it remained normal in those patients without relapse or any apparent metastasis, whereas in those patients who displayed metastasis and/or approached the terminal phase it fell below the normal range. The C3 fraction followed the CH50 pattern whereas the C4 did not show any variation correlated with the stages of the disease.