Interleukin-12 plasma concentrations in HIV-positive patients affected by neoplasms: preliminary data

Interleukin-2 (IL-2) and interleukin-12 (IL-12) seem to be the main antitum our cytokines in humans. In particular IL-12 is a heterodimer cytokine that regulates both innate and adaptive immune responses, We have analyzed the plasma level of IL-12 in 52 HIV-positive patients, in relation to the clini cal categories and the presence of tumours both related and unrelated to AI DS. The plasma level was below the minimum detectable dose in 48 patients a nd in only 4 patients high levels were found (> 7.8 pg/ml). Only one of the se 4 patients had lung metastatic carcinoma. We cannot confirm the high lev els of IL-12 in the majority of the HIV-positive patients with metastatic s olid tumours as it was described in literature in HIV-negative patients. Our data are preliminar; ongoing studies on larger patients samples could m ore accurately define the role of IL-12 in HIV positive patients, relativel y to the degree of immunodeficiency and the response to antiretroviral drug s, It's necessary to understand also, the prognostic value of high levels of t his cytokine in the HIV positive patients with solid metastatic tumours.