Soluble interleukin-2 receptor [sIL-2R] as a tumor marker in hematologic malignancies

ABSTRACT

This work aimed to evaluate serum levels of sIL-2R in some of the hematologic malignancies and to find out if it could be a predictive marker of tumor burden and response to therapy. The mean value of sIL-2R in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia [ALL] was significantly higher than the controls. It was also significantly high in the patients with activity as compared with those at remission. Patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia [CLL] had significantly elevated sIL-2R compared with the controls. The mean value of sIL-2R in the newly diagnosed cases of CLL was significantly higher than that of the group under treatment. There was no significant difference in the mean value of sIL-2R on comparing patients with stage I CLL to those with stage II. There was a significant difference between patients with stage I CLL and those with stage IV and between patients with stage II and stage IV. Newly diagnosed cases had a significantly high mean serum value of sIL-2R compared with those under treatment. Also, patients under treatment showed a significantly high mean serum value of sIL-2R compared with those at remission. Thus, it is clear that measurements of serum sIL-2R in patients with ALL, CLL, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma [NHL] and Hodgkin's lymphoma [HL] could offer a useful marker for tumor burden, prognosis and monitoring of treatment