title: Clinical significance of elevated soluble interleukin-6 receptor levels in the sera of patients with plasma cell dyscrasias.
abstract: We investigated the clinical significance of the serum soluble interleukin-6 receptor (sIL-6R) in 42 patients with plasma cell dyscrasias (27 with multiple myeloma (MM), 13 with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS), and two with plasma cell leukaemia (PCL)). Serum levels of sIL-6R in normal individuals were 77 +/- 21 ng/ml (mean +/- SD, n = 18); those in patients with MGUS and with MM were elevated (102 +/- 33 ng/ml, mean +/- SD, P < 0.05 and 126 +/- 60 ng/ml, mean +/- SD, P < 0.01, respectively). Significant correlations were not found between the serum levels of sIL-6R and known prognostic factors (C-reactive protein, haemoglobin levels, calcium, creatinine, beta 2-microglobulin, amounts of M-protein, or percentages of plasma cells in bone marrow). Elevated serum sIL-6R did not affect the survival of the patients with MM. Serial measurements of sIL-6R together with the clinical course of patients with plasma cell neoplasias revealed a good correlation between the sIL-6R level and disease activity. We conclude that sIL-6R can be used as a clinical factor correlated with the disease activity, at least in some patients with plasma cell neoplasias.
authors.affiliation: Division of Haematology, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ohtani
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ninomiya
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hasegawa
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kojima
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nagasawa
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Abe
mesh_terms: D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000378:metabolism*; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood; D007952:Leukemia, Plasma Cell / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D009101:Multiple Myeloma / Q000097:blood; D010265:Paraproteinemias / Q000097:blood*; D011379:Prognosis; D018123:Receptors, Interleukin / Q000378:metabolism*; D019947:Receptors, Interleukin-6; D012016:Reference Values; D000685:Serum Amyloid A Protein / Q000032:analysis; D012995:Solubility
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D015850:Interleukin-6; D018123:Receptors, Interleukin; D019947:Receptors, Interleukin-6; D000685:Serum Amyloid A Protein