title: Serum levels of soluble CD30 are elevated in the majority of untreated patients with Hodgkin's disease and correlate with clinical features and prognosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the serum levels of the soluble form of the CD30 molecule (sCD30) in patients with Hodgkin's disease (HD) to establish whether there is a correlation with clinical features at presentation and prognosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  The sCD30 serum levels of 117 patients were measured at diagnosis with a commercial sandwich enzyme-linked immunoadsorbent assay (ELISA) test kit, and in 78 of these patients the sCD30 levels were also recorded during the follow-up period.
  
  
  RESULTS
  sCD30 levels at diagnosis were increased (> 20 U/mL) in a high proportion of patients (87.2%; mean +/- SD, 108 +/- 134 v 5.3 +/- 5.7 U/mL in controls, P < .0001) and correlated with stage (stages I + II, 73 +/- 97 U/mL; III + IV, 162 +/- 165 U/mL; P < .0001), with presence of B symptoms (stage A, 69 +/- 82 U/mL; stage B, 162 +/- 171 U/mL; P < .0001), and, to some extent, with tumor burden (bulky presentation, 141 +/- 129 U/mL; nonbulky, 91 +/- 133 U/mL; P = .058). Patients with sCD30 levels greater than 100 U/mL at diagnosis had a significantly higher rate of poor outcome in terms of failure to achieve a complete remission (CR) or disease relapse after CR achievement. In fact, the event-free survival (EFS) duration of patients with sCD30 levels greater than 100 U/mL was significantly worse (P = .0016). Using multivariate analysis, an sCD30 level greater than 100 U/mL retained its significance after adjustment for other prognostic parameters.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  sCD30 in HD at presentation strictly correlates with clinical features. Serum levels greater than 100 U/mL at diagnosis entail a significantly higher risk of treatment failure, a factor that is independent of other prognostic parameters.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, Verona University School of Medicine, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Nadali
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Vinante
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ambrosetti
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Todeschini
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Veneri
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zanotti
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Meneghini
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Ricetti
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Benedetti
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vassanelli
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002648:Child; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006689:Hodgkin Disease / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D017730:Ki-1 Antigen / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D016019:Survival Analysis
chemical_list: D017730:Ki-1 Antigen