title: [Serum/tissue interleukin-6 concentrations and constitutional abnormalities in 4 patients with cardiac myxoma].
abstract: Immunological features and the production of interleukin-6 (IL-6) in 4 patients with cardiac myxoma were studied. The patients' age ranged from 11 years old to 57 years old; all 4 patients were female. Case 1, an 11-year-old female patient with myxoma located in the right ventricle, was considered to be a familial case. Her mother had myxomas in the right and left atrium, and had undergone removal of both tumors 3 years before. Peripheral blood examination revealed various inflammatory parameters in all of these patients. White blood cell (WBC) count was over 8,000/cmm in 3 of the 4 patients, positive CRP was found in 2 patients, IgG was higher than 1,500 mg/dl in 3 patients, positive anti-nuclear antibody was seen in 1 patient, and positive rheumatoid factor was identified in 1 patient. The OKT 4/8 ratio of lymphocyte subpopulation was 4.65 in one patient. The lymphocyte mitogenic response to PHA was increased in 2 patients. Serum IL-6 increased in 3 of 4 patients, and returned to normal within 3 to 4 weeks after operation. The IL-6 concentration in the homogenized sample remarkably increased in all 4 patients. Tumors larger than 4 cm contained higher tissue IL-6 concentrations than those smaller than 2 cm. The cultured myxoma cells produced abundant IL-6 in the culture medium supernatant. We conclude that inflammatory signs and immunological abnormalities are common in patients with large cardiac myxoma, and, in addition, serum IL-6 levels may increase in such patients.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Toho University, School of Medicine.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Saji
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Matsuo
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Shiono
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yokomuro
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Takanashi
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Komatsu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006338:Heart Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009232:Myxoma / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D015850:Interleukin-6