[Secretory IgA of the cervical mucus in neoplastic and nonneoplastic conditions of the uterine cervix].

In 39 women affected by cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) concentration of the cervical mucus secretory IgA (sIgA) was significantly higher than in 414 controls matched for age, reproductive status and smoking habit (196 healthy women; 109 with "specific" and "aspecific" cervicitis or cervico-vaginitis; 51 with benign epithelial disorders of the cervix; 40 with adenomatous cervical polyp and 18 with early invasive exocervical squamous carcinoma). CIN carried the highest proportion of cases with sIgA detectable or beyond the cut-off value and sIgA concentration was inversely related to CIN grade. Present data confirm our preliminary investigation on the cervical total IgA and explain that any increased levels of these IgA are induced by the secretory and not serum fraction of this immunoglobulin. We still don't know the exact meaning and value of the present results. It is only possible to suppose that they are the expression of a vigorous local immune activation adverse to CIN, which is elevated for as long as the architecture of cervical glandular epithelia is preserved.