title: High serum levels of soluble interleukin-2 receptor in acute myeloid leukemia: correlation with poor prognosis and CD4 expression on blast cells.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although increased serum levels of soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R) and their clinical importance are well known in mature type lymphoproliferative disorders (LD), little data is available about such information in acute type hematological malignancies.
  
  
  METHODS
  We examined the serum levels of sIL-2R in 57 adult patients with acute type leukemias: 32 with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), 14 acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and 11 chronic myelocytic leukemia in blast crisis (CMLBC), and in 29 adult patients with mature type LD, and assessed their cellular and clinical relevance in acute type leukemias.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No significant differences were seen in the sIL-2R levels between acute type leukemias and mature type LD. In AML, serum sIL-2R levels were related to the cell surface CD4 expression on blast cells, and patients with higher levels ≧2000U/ml had a poorer prognosis (lower response to chemotherapy and shorter overall survival).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that serum sIL-2R level elevates in acute type leukemias like mature type LD, and increased sIL-2R levels in adult AML are correlated with certain biological and clinical characteristics.
authors.affiliation: Cancer Center, Mie University Hospital, Tsu, Japan. k2nakase@clin.medic.mie-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Kazunori
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakase
authors.forename: Kenkichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kita
authors.forename: Taiichi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kyo
authors.forename: Kota
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tsuji
authors.forename: Naoyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Katayama
mesh_terms: D000954:Antigens, Surface / Q000097:blood; D001752:Blast Crisis / Q000276:immunology*; D015704:CD4 Antigens / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015464:Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D015470:Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology / Q000401:mortality; D008232:Lymphoproliferative Disorders / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D011379:Prognosis; D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2 / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D044967:Serum / Q000276:immunology; D015996:Survival Rate
chemical_list: D000954:Antigens, Surface; D015704:CD4 Antigens; D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2