title: Elevated soluble IL-2 receptor levels correlate with tumor bulk of follicular lymphomas with intestinal involvement.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Establish a correlation between serum soluble interleukin 2 receptor (sIL-2R) levels and clinical characteristics of follicular lymphoma patients with gastrointestinal involvement.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients (n=44) presenting with follicular lymphoma lesions in the gastrointestinal tract were enrolled into the study and divided into 2 groups based on sIL-2R levels (normal vs. elevated). Clinical characteristics were also analyzed between groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients with elevated sIL-2R levels likely had systemic follicular lymphoma involvement (Ann Arbor system staging IIIES/IV or Lugano system staging II-2/IV), involvement of 5 or more nodal areas, and presentation of bulky tumors in the gastrointestinal tract. These patients also presented a high Follicular Lymphoma International Prognostic Index (FLIPI) score, suggestive of poor prognosis. No differences were found among other clinical characteristics including sex, age at lymphoma diagnosis, histological grade, LDH levels, bone marrow involvement, hemoglobin levels, and identification of tracer accumulation in gastrointestinal lesions by positron-emission tomography scanning.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  sIL-2R levels can be used as an independent prognostic index in follicular lymphoma patients based on the correlation with the FLIPI score. Moreover, since high sIL-2R levels were associated with a large tumor bulk, sIL-2R may serve as a good indicator for monitoring disease relapse or progression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2-5-1 Shikata-Cho, Kita-Ku, Okayama 700-8558, Japan. Electronic address: iwamuromasaya@yahoo.co.jp.
authors.forename: Masaya
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Iwamuro
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology and Oncology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2-5-1 Shikata-Cho, Kita-Ku, Okayama 700-8558, Japan.
authors.forename: Katsuji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shinagawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Endoscopy, Okayama University Hospital, 2-5-1 Shikata-Cho, Kita-Ku, Okayama 700-8558, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Okada
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2-5-1 Shikata-Cho, Kita-Ku, Okayama 700-8558, Japan.
authors.forename: Katsuyoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takata
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2-5-1 Shikata-Cho, Kita-Ku, Okayama 700-8558, Japan.
authors.forename: Tadashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yoshino
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2-5-1 Shikata-Cho, Kita-Ku, Okayama 700-8558, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazuhide
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006836:Hydro-Lyases / Q000097:blood; D053645:Interleukin-2 Receptor alpha Subunit / Q000097:blood*; D007414:Intestinal Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D008224:Lymphoma, Follicular / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis
chemical_list: C508017:IL2RA protein, human; D053645:Interleukin-2 Receptor alpha Subunit; D006836:Hydro-Lyases; C045581:lactate dehydratase
keywords: Gastrointestinal lymphoma; Primary intestinal follicular lymphoma; Soluble interleukin 2 receptor