Circulating immune complexes and serum lysozyme levels in untreated Hodgkin's disease. Their relationship to immune function.

Complement-fixing and non-complement-fixing circulating immune complexes were determined in 42 previously untreated Hodgkin's disease patients by Pl.A.T., C1qB-ELISA and KgB tests. The functional status of the monocyte-macrophage system was evaluated by measuring the serum lysozyme levels. These parameters were then correlated with the patient's immunocompetence, as assessed by the percentage of E-rosette forming cells and the PHA response. The Pl.A.T. was positive in 35.7% patients, the KgB-test in 34.3% and the C1qB-ELISA in 19%. There was overlapping of positive results in 37.5% patients. No correlation was found between CIC levels and stage, unfavourable histology or B symptoms. The PHA response was significantly depressed in CIC + patients, as detected by the C1qB-ELISA technique (p less than 0.0025). The data on serum lysozyme offer an insight into the possible mechanism regulating serum levels of CICs in Hodgkin's disease. Two distinct situations seem to exist: in the first, high CIC levels are associated with normal or low serum lysozyme values (p versus normal controls: n.s.); in the second, serum lysozyme levels are high and CIC absent (p less than 0.005 versus control values). The lowest lysozyme levels are also associated with a depressed lymphocyte PHA response. It could, therefore, be concluded that, in Hodgkin's disease, the presence, or absence, of CICs is directly correlated to the degree of monocyte-macrophage clearance activity and that the host's immunocompetence plays an important role in the induction and/or maintenance of this functional defect.