ELEVATED SERUM INTERLEUKIN-6 (IL-6) IS DERIVED FROM NEOPLASTIC LYMPHOID-CELLS IN PATIENTS WITH B-CELL NON-HODGKINS-LYMPHOMA - CORRELATION WITH EXTENT OF IL-6 EXPRESSION AND SERUM CONCENTRATION

We investigated the expression of interleukin-6 (IL-6) mRNA in tumours from 21 patients with B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), Total RNA, extracted from diagnostic tissue specimens, was subjected to semi-qua ntitative analysis for IL-6 mRNA by the reverse transcription polymera se chain reaction (RT-PCR), The amount of IL-6 mRNA was semi-quantifie d against that in pokeweed mitogen (PWM) stimulated peripheral blood m ononuclear cells. The expression of IL-6 in neoplastic B cells was con firmed by immunohistochemistry. We then looked for correlations betwee n the amount of IL-6 mRNA produced by neoplastic B cells and serum IL- 6 concentrations. The amount of IL-6 mRNA correlated with the circulat ing IL-6 concentration, suggesting that the malignant cells were the s ource of IL-6 in these patients with B-cell NHL. Our results suggest t hat the circulating IL-6 in patients with B-cell NHL is derived from t he neoplastic lymphoid cells, and that neoplastic cells map act as mod ulators of the general status of patients with B-cell NHL.