Anti-nuclear antibodies in patients with breast cancer

Abstract

To study the prevalence of anti-nuclear antibodies (ANA) in breast cancer patients and its association with tumour characteristics. Ninety-one patients with breast mass detected by image studies and assigned to conduct diagnostic biopsy and eventual surgical treatment were studied for demographical, tumour data and presence of ANA. Serum of positive ANA patients was screened for the extractable nuclear antigen (ENA) profile. As comparison, 91 healthy individuals matched for age and from the same geographical area were included. In this sample 72 of 91 (79·1%) had malignant lesions (83% ductal infiltrative carcinoma). ANA was positive in 44·4% of patients with malignant tumour and in 15·7% of those with benign lesions (malignant versus benign with P = 0·03). Controls had ANA positivity in 5·4%, and when compared with tumour samples showed P < 0·0001. The most common immunofluorescence pattern was a fine dense speckled pattern. In the ANA-positive patients with malignant lesions, seven had positivity for ENA profile (three for anti-RNP and anti-Sm, one for just anti-RNP, two for anti-Ro and anti-La e two for just anti-La). It was not possible to associate ANA positivity with tumour histological characteristics or staging or with patient's age. A negative association of ANA with hormonal (oestrogen or oestrogen plus progesterone) receptor status was found (P = 0·01). In this sample, there was a high prevalence of ANA positivity in breast cancer patients with a negative association with the presence of hormonal receptors. More studies are needed to understand the real value of this finding.

Presence of autoantibodies in serum does not impact the occurrence of immune checkpoint inhibitor-induced hepatitis in a prospective cohort of cancer patients

“…While other authors have shown associations between autoantibodies and the occurrence of ICI-induced skin toxicity, hypophysitis, and pneumonitis (Ali et al 2019 ; Tahir et al 2019 ), we did not find such an association with ICI-induced hepatitis. Our data are in line with the previous findings that show high levels of autoantibodies in healthy volunteers (Okamoto et al 2004 ; Slight-Webb et al 2016 ) and cancer patients (Anderson et al 2015 ; Nisihara et al 2018 ). Furthermore, the previous reports similarly show no elevated titers of liver-specific autoantibodies in patients with ICI-induced hepatitis (Johncilla et al 2015 ; De Martin et al 2018 ; Zen and Yeh 2018 ).…”

Antinuclear Antibodies With a Homogeneous and Speckled Immunofluorescence Pattern Are Associated With Lack of Cancer While Those With a Nucleolar Pattern With the Presence of Cancer

“…ANA were found to be positive in ∼40% of patients with malignant tumors in two previous studies (22,23). Conversely, Shiel and Jason found a malignant disease in 2.9% of patients with positive ANA (24).…”

Circulating predictive markers of immune checkpoint inhibitors in non-small cell lung cancer

“…Он представляет собой спектр аутоантител, которые реагируют с различными ядерными и цитоплазматическими компонентами нормальных клеток человека [63]. Хотя АНФ является важным серологическим маркером некоторых аутоиммунных заболеваний, он также обнаруживается в сыворотке крови пациентов с различными злокачественными опухолями [64]. Ряд исследователей показали, что АНФ может служить предиктивным маркером ответа на иммунотерапию.…”