Levels of soluble interleukin-2 receptor alpha (sIL-2Ralpha) are known to increase in the sera of patients with certain malignancies, including malignant lymphoma. This study aimed to assess the clinical significance of the sIL-2Ralpha level in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). We used ELISA to measure the sIL-2Ralpha levels in 48 newly diagnosed and untreated patients with NHL and evaluated the correlation between the sIL-2Ralpha levels and clinical characteristics and the International Prognostic Index (IPI). We monitored serum sIL-2Ralpha in 7 patients to compare the changes in their clinical progress with these levels. High levels of serum sIL-2Ralpha (> or =2,000 U/mL) correlated well with parameters defining the high risk group according to the IPI, i.e., high tumor burden at diagnosis (stage III+IV) and lactate dehydrogenase > or =472 U/L. The levels were also associated with B symptoms, bone marrow involvement, and poor response to therapy. The sIL-2Ralpha level decreased during complete remission and was elevated during disease progression or relapse. A high level of sIL-2Ralpha was significantly associated with a low survival rate. These results suggest that serum sIL-2Ralpha might be useful as a biomarker for evaluating the prognosis of patients with NHL at the time of diagnosis and during therapy. A well-controlled, large-scale study is needed to clarify the clinical significance of sIL-2Ralpha in specific groups of NHL.
Aged ; Biological Markers/blood ; Female ; Humans ; Interleukin-2 Receptor alpha Subunit/*blood ; L-Lactate Dehydrogenase/blood ; Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin/*diagnosis/metabolism/mortality ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; Survival Rate

This study was to investigate the predictive factors influencing prognosis of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). The clinical data on 125 cases of NHL were analyzed retrospectively. The results indicated that in 125 cases, the incidence of B cell NHL (B-NHL) was 68%, T cell NHL (T-NHL) was 28%, and uncertained cases were 4%. B-NHL was with more bone marrow involvement, while T-NHL was associated with more presence of B symptom, increased lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), advanced clinical stage and higher International Prognostic Index (IPI) scores. For T-NHL and B-NHL, the 3-year overall survival (OS) rate was 41.07% and 71.64% respectively. Age, B symptom, LDH level, and clinical stage were associated with OS. Immunophenotyping was not identified as a significant prognostic factor. The incidence of born marrow involvement was 31.2%, mainly in B-NHL. The involvement manner had no relationships with age, B symptom, LDH level and T/B immunophenotyping. Diffuse bone marrow involvement was often linked with hepatosplenomegaly, and its OS was shorter than that focal manner. In conclusion, age, B symptom, LDH level and clinical stage affect NHL survival, while immunophenotyping was not an independent prognostic factor for NHL. The manner of bone marrow involvement helped to predict prognosis.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Bone Marrow ; pathology ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; China ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; L-Lactate Dehydrogenase ; metabolism ; Lymphoma, B-Cell ; diagnosis ; Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin ; diagnosis ; mortality ; pathology ; Lymphoma, T-Cell ; diagnosis ; enzymology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate ; Young Adult