Soluble interleukin-2 receptor levels in patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma or with acute leukemia

Enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assay was used to study the serum levels of soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R) in 30 patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) (19, active disease; 11, complete remission) and 26 patients with acute leukemia (AL) (14, active disease; 12, complete remission). Thirty healthy age-matched volunteers were used as normal controls. The mean values of serum sIL-2R in NHL with active disease and complete remission (CR) were 1043 +/- 108 units/ml and 635 +/- 118 units/ml, respectively; these values are significantly higher than those in normal controls; 220 +/- 30 units/ml (p less than 0.001 and p = 0.001, respectively). The mean values of serum sIL-2R in AL with active disease and CR were 726 +/- 119 units/ml and 363 +/- 61 units/ml, respectively which were also significantly higher than those in the normal group (p less than 0.001 and p = 0.023 respectively). Comparing the active state with CR state in both diseases, sIL-2Rs in the latter state were significantly lower than those in active disease. Serum sIL-2R level might be a parameter of disease activity in NHL and AL.