RELATIONSHIP OF SERUM LEVELS OF ONCOSTATIN-M TO AIDS-RELATED AND CLASSIC KAPOSIS-SARCOMA

Serum levels of circulating oncostatin-M (OM) were compared among case s of Kaposi's sarcoma associated with acquired immune deficiency syndr ome (AIDS-KS) and multiple controls, including a homosexual man infect ed with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), an HIV-1-uninfect ed homosexual man, and a heterosexual man; and among classic KS cases and heterosexual controls. Cases were selected from abstracts collecte d by a population-based cancer registry and from local AIDS clinics. C ontrols for the AIDS-KS cases were matched to the cases by age, sex, a nd race and were either friends of the cases or residents from the cas es' neighborhoods; controls for the classic KS cases were similarly ma tched, but were obtained solely from neighborhood residents. Blood sam ples were obtained from participants, serum levels of OM were determin ed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and CD4 cell counts w ere obtained by flow cytometry. Geometric mean levels of OM were compa red among the risk groups adjusted for age and CD4 cell count. No diff erences in adjusted OM levels were found between AIDS-KS cases and HIV -1-infected homosexual controls (8.4 pg/ml vs. 10.2) or between classi c KS cases and controls (13.3 pg/ml vs. 9.6); however the HIV-1-infect ed controls (both homosexual and heterosexual) matched to the AIDS-KS cases had higher levels than did the HIV-1-infected cases and controls . Among the HIV-1-infected groups, an inverse correlation between OM a nd CD4 cell count was observed and was statistically significant for t he cases. Among all heterosexual controls (matched to either case grou p), serum OM was inversely related to age. No trend for OM levels by d isease extent was found among the AIDS-KS cases. The study results sug gest that circulating OM levels cannot be used in distinguishing AIDS- KS cases from HIV-1-infected controls or classic KS cases from heteros exual controls; and among the AIDS-KS cases the serum OM level was not a useful indicator of extent of disease.