Serum interleukin 2 receptor levels in childhood acute lymphoblastic
leukemia
CH Pui, SH Ip, S Iflah, FG Behm, BH Grose, RK Dodge, WM Crist, WL Furman, SB Murphy and GK Rivera
Department of Hematology-Oncology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital,
Memphis, TN 38101.
The clinical significance of interleukin 2 receptor (IL2R) concentrations
in serum was determined for 344 children with newly diagnosed acute
lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Serum levels of IL2R in patients (267 to
80,000 U/mL, median 2,007 U/mL) were significantly higher than normal
control values (170 to 738 U/mL, median 347 U/mL) (P less than .0001).
Measurements in cases of T cell ALL were lower than in the non-T, non-B
cases (P = .02). Among the 264 patients with non-T, non-B ALL, but not in
those with T cell disease, higher serum IL2R levels (greater than 2,000
U/mL) were associated with a poorer treatment outcome (P = .04). In a
multivariate analysis, serum IL2R level contributed independent prognostic
information beyond that conveyed by leukocyte count, race, and age (P =
.04). One explanation for these results is that soluble IL2R competes with
normal lymphocyte- integrated IL2R for the ligand and thus could suppress
host antitumor immunity.
Volume 71,
Issue 4,
pp. 1135-1137,
04/01/1988
Copyright © 1988 by The American Society of Hematology
