title: Tumor necrosis factor-alpha in malignant disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Due to its important role in immunoregulation, we have investigated serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF alpha), in children with newly diagnosed, untreated, malignant disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  These levels have been related to the presence of infection and to the serum content of three other cytokines, namely interleukin-1 beta, interleukin-2, and interferon-gamma. All cytokine analyses were performed using highly sensitive radioimmunoassays.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Children with leukemia had higher mean levels of TNF alpha (63.6 +/- 12.3 pg/ml) than did children with solid tumors (21.5 +/- 4.2 pg/ml) and control patients (10.5 +/- 2.6 pg/ml). TNF alpha levels in patients did not correlate with the levels of the other cytokines or with the presence of infection.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Children with malignant disease often have elevated TNF alpha levels. This elevation is dependent on the malignant disease process itself, and could either reflect the host immunological response or tumor cell production of TNF alpha.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics I, University of Göteborg, Sweden.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Abrahamsson
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Carlsson
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mellander
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000097:blood; D007375:Interleukin-1 / Q000097:blood; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000097:blood; D007938:Leukemia / Q000097:blood*; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000097:blood*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000097:blood*; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D007375:Interleukin-1; D007376:Interleukin-2; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D007371:Interferon-gamma