HLA antigens and primary bronchial carcinoma.

A comparative study of HLA, A, and B antigens frequency was undertaken on patients with primary bronchial carcinoma. A prospective study was carried out on 103 patients admitted for the first time to the hospital, and a retrospective study was done on 53 patients who survived at least five years. Forty-seven patients died early while on the prospective study. The results show an increased frequency of B12 antigen both in patients of the prospective study and the retrospective study. This would suggest that the increase is associated with susceptibility to the disease rather than resistance to it. There was no finding in favor of an association between a HLA antigen and survival.