Soluble interleukin 2 receptor (sIL2R) in monitoring advanced lung cancer during chemotherapy

Study objectives: To evaluate the usefulness of measuring sIL2R for diagnos tic and prognostic purposes and for monitoring disease during a 6-month per iod of chemotherapy, and to investigate the clinical significance of sIL2R serum concentrations. Methods: The serum concentration of sIL2R, TPA and ly mphocyte subsets CD4, CD8, CD25, CD16 were measured at diagnosis and then 1 and 6 months after the start of chemotherapy. Patients: There were 39 pati ents (three females, 36 males; mean age 61.6 years) with lung cancer (LC), treated with chemotherapy and 22 control subjects (six females, 16 males; m ean age 50.1 years) with non-neoplastic lung diseases. Results: No signific ant differences in sIL2R serum concentrations were observed at diagnosis be tween the control and LC group or when comparing the different histotypes, disease stages (IIIa-b vs IV) and survival (survival less than or equal to 12 vs > 12 months). On comparing the sequential variations of the examined parameters a significant increase in sIL2R; (P < 0.007) after 1 and 6 month s versus basal value was observed only in patients surviving less than 12 m onths and in those who did not respond to chemotherapy. Moreover a negative correlation was observed between sIL2R serum concentrations and CD25 + and CD16 + lymphocyte subsets. Evaluation of survival curves of patients with basal sIL2R > or less than or equal to 700 U/ml showed a slightly lower sur vival rate in the former group. Conclusions: The present results, confirmin g the poor utility of sIL2R in the diagnostic phase of the disease, show it s usefulness in prognostic evaluation and in the clinical surveillance of p atients with advanced lung cancer submitted to polychemotherapy. In this ca se any variations in sIL2R serum levels are likely to relate to the spread of the neoplasia rather than to the host immune response. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.