title: Serum level of interleukin-16 in multiple myeloma patients and its relationship to disease activity.
abstract: Interleukin-16 (IL-16) is a chemoattractant of CD4+ lymphocytes, and it has been implicated in the pathogenesis of various inflammatory diseases. There is evidence that it may have a role in multiple myeloma (MM). In the present study, we determined the serum level of IL-16 both before and after treatment of MM and related it to inflammatory markers and survival. Forty-eight newly diagnosed MM patients were included in the study. Disease stage was defined using the Durie-Salmon classification system (10 patients were in stage I, 19 in stage II, and 19 in stage III). After standard treatment, 22 patients reached the plateau phase and were re-evaluated. The following serum parameters were measured: IL-16, IL-6, alpha-1 antitrypsin (alpha1AT), and C-reactive protein (CRP). Survival was determined as the number of months elapsed since original diagnosis. The mean +/- SD of serum IL-16 was 343 +/- 195 pg/ml in the pre-treatment MM group and 101 +/- 30 pg/ml in the control group. All measured parameters were higher in the patient group compared to healthy controls. Furthermore, IL-16, IL-6, alpha1AT, and CRP were significantly increased with increasing stage of disease, from stage I to stage III (P<0.01). All parameters decreased significantly following effective chemotherapy (P<0.002). Patients with a high level of IL-16 (>430 pg/ml) displayed an inferior survival time in comparison to those with lower levels of IL-16. In the pre-treatment group, IL-16 correlated with alpha1AT and IL-6 (r=0.374, P<0.01 and r=0.454, P<0.002, respectively). IL-16 may play a role in multiple myeloma; however, further functional studies are required.
authors.affiliation: Department of Haematology, University Hospital of Heraklion, Crete, Greece. freda@med.uoc.gr
authors.forename: Michael G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Alexandrakis
authors.forename: Freda H
authors.initials: FH
authors.lastname: Passam
authors.forename: Despina S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Kyriakou
authors.forename: Anna V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Christophoridou
authors.forename: Kostas
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Perisinakis
authors.forename: Aria
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hatzivasili
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Foudoulakis
authors.forename: Elias
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Castanas
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000276:immunology; D019410:Interleukin-16 / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009101:Multiple Myeloma / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D012016:Reference Values; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D019410:Interleukin-16