IgG anti-50 kd lymphocyte membrane peptide antibody in patients with Sézary syndrome.

Abstract

Recent evidence suggests that as cutaneous T-cell lymphoma progresses, cell-mediated immunity is reduced and humoral responses are augmented. The present study was designed to compare the IgG response in Sézary syndrome with that in mycosis fungoides. The IgG antilymphocyte response was studied in six patients with Sézary syndrome and in 11 patients with mycosis fungoides by means of immunoblot analysis, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, immunohistochemistry, and flow cytometry. An IgG antilymphocyte response to a 50 kd peptide was seen in five of the six patients with Sézary syndrome; however, none of the 11 patients with mycosis fungoides expressed this response. An enhanced IgG immune response to 50 kd lymphocyte peptide may be helpful in identifying disease progression in patients with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma.