Serum levels of soluble Fas [S-FAS] and soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 [S-ICAM-1] in childhood solid tumors: correlation with clinical features and outcome

The levels of s-Fas and s-ICAM-1 conjointly in sera of patients with malignant diseases were evaluated in sera of sixty-two children with solid tumor on admission. They included thirty-four children with non- Hodgkin's lymphoma [NHL], three with Hodgkin's lymphoma [HL], eight with neuroblastoma, four with retinoblastoma, five with osteosarcoma, three with Ewing's sarcoma and five with Wilm's tumor. For comparative purposes, serum samples were obtained from ten healthy children who were comparable in age and sex with the patients. The study revealed significant increase of s-Fas as well as sICAM-1 in children with solid malignant tumors as a whole and irrespective of the pathological type compared with controls. The sensitivities were 100% and 93.5%, respectively. The levels of either s-Fas or sICAM-1 reflected organomegaly and outcome in children with solid tumor as a whole. Moreover, they reflected tumor spread, grade and burden in cases with NHL. Significant positive correlation existed between s-Fas and sICAM-1