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Vol.40 No.1 contents | Japanese/English |
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- Original Article -
Serum Soluble Interleukin-2 Receptor in Patients with Lung Cancer
Atsuhiko Tada1, Shin Kawahara1, Toshio Sato2, Kenji Nishii31Department of Internal Medicine, National Minami-Okayama Hospital, 2Department of Respiratory Disease, National Okayama Hospital, 3Anti Tuberculosis Association, Okayama Branch
Objective: Serum soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R) levels may reflect the state of immunocompetent cells involved in autoimmune diseases and several malignancies. We evaluated the clinical significance of serum sIL-2R levels in patients with lung cancer. Materials and Methods: We measured sIL-2R in sera of 54 patients with untreated lung cancer, using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: The serum sIL-2R level of all patients was 751±432 U/ml (the mean±SD), while that of 116 normal volunteers was 370±77. The levels were higher in advanced stages (stages III and IV) than in early stages (stages I and II). At the same stage, patients with small cell carcinoma had relatively lower sIL-2R levels than those with non-small cell carcinoma. Both serum albumin and choline esterase activity inversely correlated with serum sIL-2R levels. On the other hand, there was a positive correlation between serum sIL-2R and C-reactive protein levels. These results indicate that the serum sIL-2R level may elevate in cases with malnutrition and/or severe inflammatory process, suggesting that its elevation may correlate with poor prognosis. Conclusion: Serum sIL-2R levels in patients with non-small cell lung cancer may act as a prognostic factor.
key words: Soluble interleukin-2 receptor, Lung cancer
Received: September 29, 1999
Accepted: December 6, 1999
JJLC 40 (1): 23-27, 2000
