SIMULTANEOUS MEASUREMENT OF SERUM 5-S-CYSTEINYLDOPA, CIRCULATING INTERCELLULAR-ADHESION MOLECULE-1 AND SOLUBLE INTERLEUKIN-2 RECEPTOR LEVELS IN JAPANESE PATIENTS WITH MALIGNANT-MELANOMA

Serum 5-S-cysteinyl dopa (5-S-CD), circulating intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (cICAM-1) and soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R) have each been reported as useful markers for melanoma progression. To asse ss the clinical relevance of these three markers, we simultaneously as sayed their serum levels in 30 Japanese melanoma patients, Pre-surgica l serum levels of 5-S-CD, cICAM-1 and sIL-2R were elevated in six, 13 and five patients respectively. These abnormal values returned to norm al after curative surgery in most of the patients, suggesting a direct relationship to the presence of the primary tumour. Presurgical value s of these three markers, either individually or in combination, did n ot predict the development of subsequent metastases. The sequential me asurements of the three markers in eight patients who had relapse afte r surgery showed that serum 5-S-CD is the most useful marker for disea se progression, although it is dependent on the melanin-producing abil ity of individual recurrent tumours. sIL-2R seemed to reflect in vivo activation of the host immune system and was a good indicator for pred icting occult metastasis in selected cases. Circulating ICAM-1 levels were less relevant to the clinical disease course in our cases, althou gh they tended to increase strikingly after liver metastasis. Our resu lts in this limited number of cases show that the significance of the three markers varied with the individual and suggest that the simultan eous measurement of these markers may facilitate the early detection o f metastases and proper therapeutic intervention.