This review summarizes studies on humoral immune responses against
tumor-associated
antigens (TAAs) with a focus on antibody frequencies and the potential diagnostic, prognostic, and etiologic relevance of
antibodies against TAAs. We performed a systematic literature search in Medline and identified 3,619 articles on humoral immune responses and TAAs. In 145 studies, meeting the inclusion criteria, humoral immune responses in
cancer patients have been analyzed against over 100 different TAAs. The most frequently analyzed
antigens were p53, MUC1, NY-ESO-1, c-myc,
survivin, p62,
cyclin B1, and Her2/neu.
Antibodies against these TAAs were detected in 0-69% (median 14%) of analyzed
tumor patients. Antibody frequencies were generally very low in healthy individuals, with the exception of few TAAs, especially MUC1. For several TAAs, including p53, Her2/neu, and NY-ESO-1, higher antibody frequencies were reported when
tumors expressed the respective TAA.
Antibodies against MUC1 were associated with a favorable prognosis while
antibodies against p53 were associated with poor disease outcome. These data suggest different functional roles of endogenous
antibodies against TAAs. Although data on prediagnostic antibody levels are scarce and antibody frequencies for most TAAs are at levels precluding use in diagnostic assays for
cancer early detection, there is some promising data on achieving higher sensitivity for
cancer detection using panels of TAAs.