Elevation of IL-6 in ATL patient with a pathological fracture

Hypercalcemia and osteolytic bone lesion are important complications in the prognosis of patients with adult T cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL). We report a 61-year-old Japanese woman who died of ATL and had multiple osteolytic lesions and pathological fractures of her extremities. Highly increased serum levels of Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and a parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP) together with a high level of serum calcium observed at the time of fractures suggested their contribution to the formation of the bone lesions.