Background: Recent evidence suggests that as cutaneous T-cell lymphoma progresses, cell-mediated immunity is reduced and humoral responses are augmented.
Objective: The present study was designed to compare the IgG response in Sézary syndrome with that in mycosis fungoides.
Methods: 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.
Results: 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.
Conclusions: An enhanced IgG immune response to 50 kd lymphocyte peptide may be helpful in identifying disease progression in patients with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma.