Postoperative increase in soluble interleukin‐2 receptor serum levels as predictor for early recurrence in non‐small cell lung carcinoma

• Published in: Cancer Vol. 69; no. 10; pp. 2458 - 2462
• Main Authors: Tisi, Elisabetta, Lissoni, Paolo, Angeli, Marcello, Arrigoni, Carlo, Corno, Enrica, Cassina, Enrico, Ballabio, Dario, Benenti, Claudio, Barni, Sandro, Tancini, Gabriele
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company 15.05.1992; Wiley-Liss
• Subjects: Aged; Biological and medical sciences; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung - immunology; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung - surgery; Female; Humans; Longitudinal Studies; Lung Neoplasms - immunology; Lung Neoplasms - surgery; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Pneumology; Receptors, Interleukin-2 - analysis; Recurrence; Statistics as Topic; Human; Postoperative; Relapse; Interleukin 2; Correlation analysis; Respiratory disease; Exploration; Serum; Enzyme immunoassay; Pneumopathy; Non small cell carcinoma
• ISSN: 0008-543X; 1097-0142
• DOI: 10.1002/1097-0142(19920515)69:10<2458::AID-CNCR2820691013>3.0.CO;2-5

It is known that interleukin‐2 (IL‐2) plays an important role in the activation of host antitumor immune response. In addition to IL‐2 cell surface receptor, a soluble form of IL‐2 receptor (SIL‐2R) may be released in the blood and potentially be involved in the regulation of IL‐2 availability. High SIL‐2R levels have been found in patients with lung cancer. The current study evaluated the influence of changes in SIL‐2R serum levels during the perioperative period on early relapse rate in patients with operable non‐small cell lung cancer. The study included 60 patients (epidermoid carcinoma, 33; adenocarcinoma, 27). Serum levels of SIL‐2R were measured with an enzyme immunoassay before surgery and 7 and 30 days after surgery. A surgery‐induced increase in SIL‐2R levels was seen 7 days after surgery in 38 of 60 patients. On the 30th day after surgery, SIL‐2R values were lower than the preoperative values in 32 patients (Group A) or still greater in the other 28 patients (Group B). After a median follow‐up of 10 months, relapse occurred in 19 of 60 patients. The relapse rate was significantly higher in Group B than in Group A patients (16 of 28 versus 3 of 32, respectively; P < 0.001). This difference also was significant in relation to histotype and node status. This study shows that the persistence of increased SIL‐2R levels in the postoperative period is associated with a higher early relapse rate in patients with operable non‐small cell lung cancer. The impact of SIL‐2R levels on relapse suggests that host immune defenses may influence the clinical course of patients with lung cancer. Therefore, the evaluation of SIL‐2R in the perioperative period may represent a new prognostic biologic factor in operable non‐small cell lung cancer. Cancer 1992; 69:2458‐2462.