Serum IgG Is Associated With Risk of Melanoma in the Swedish AMORIS Study

TY - JOUR

T1 - Serum IgG Is Associated With Risk of Melanoma in the Swedish AMORIS Study

AU - Kessler, Anna

AU - Sollie, Sam

AU - Karagiannis, Sophia N

AU - Walldius, Goran

AU - Hammar, Niklas

AU - Van Hemelrijck, Mieke

N1 - Copyright © 2019 Kessler, Sollie, Karagiannis, Walldius, Hammar and Van Hemelrijck.

PY - 2019/10/29

Y1 - 2019/10/29

N2 - Background: Relatively little is known about the role of the humoral immune system in melanoma. Tumor infiltrating B cells in melanoma patients have been associated with increased T cell activation in tumors as well as improved patient survival. Immunoglobulins may play an important part in the anti-tumor immune response. We hypothesized that increased levels of pre-diagnostic serum Ig may be protective against melanoma development. Hence, we evaluated associations between pre-diagnostic serum markers of the immunoglobulin A (IgA), IgG and IgM, and risk of developing melanoma in the Swedish Apolipoprotein-related MORtality RISk (AMORIS) study. Methods: Study participants aged ≥20 years with baseline measurements of IgG, IgA and IgM taken between 1985 and 1996 were selected (n = 29,876). All individuals were free from melanoma at baseline and 162 study participants developed melanoma during follow up. Cox proportional hazards regression was carried out for medical cut-offs of IgA, IgG, and IgM. Results: Compared to the reference level of 6.10–14.99 g/l, we observed a positive but not significant association with risk of melanoma for those with IgG levels <6.10 g/L [HR: 1.05 (95% CI 0.39–2.86)] and an inverse association for those with IgG levels ≥15.00 g/L [HR: 0.60 (95% CI 0.34–1.05); P trend = 0.08]. No associations with serum IgA or IgM were identified. Conclusions: The humoral response might provide a protective role against the development of melanoma, mediated through IgG. Further research is needed to characterize this response which may be exploitable for development of future therapies.

AB - Background: Relatively little is known about the role of the humoral immune system in melanoma. Tumor infiltrating B cells in melanoma patients have been associated with increased T cell activation in tumors as well as improved patient survival. Immunoglobulins may play an important part in the anti-tumor immune response. We hypothesized that increased levels of pre-diagnostic serum Ig may be protective against melanoma development. Hence, we evaluated associations between pre-diagnostic serum markers of the immunoglobulin A (IgA), IgG and IgM, and risk of developing melanoma in the Swedish Apolipoprotein-related MORtality RISk (AMORIS) study. Methods: Study participants aged ≥20 years with baseline measurements of IgG, IgA and IgM taken between 1985 and 1996 were selected (n = 29,876). All individuals were free from melanoma at baseline and 162 study participants developed melanoma during follow up. Cox proportional hazards regression was carried out for medical cut-offs of IgA, IgG, and IgM. Results: Compared to the reference level of 6.10–14.99 g/l, we observed a positive but not significant association with risk of melanoma for those with IgG levels <6.10 g/L [HR: 1.05 (95% CI 0.39–2.86)] and an inverse association for those with IgG levels ≥15.00 g/L [HR: 0.60 (95% CI 0.34–1.05); P trend = 0.08]. No associations with serum IgA or IgM were identified. Conclusions: The humoral response might provide a protective role against the development of melanoma, mediated through IgG. Further research is needed to characterize this response which may be exploitable for development of future therapies.

KW - AMORIS cohort

KW - Humoral immunity

KW - IgG

KW - Immunoglobin

KW - Melanoma

KW - Melanoma risk

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85074521975&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.3389/fonc.2019.01095

DO - 10.3389/fonc.2019.01095

M3 - Article

C2 - 31737561

SN - 2234-943X

VL - 9

JO - Frontiers in oncology

JF - Frontiers in oncology

IS - OCT

M1 - 1095

ER -