Impact of serum levels of IL-18 and soluble IL-2 receptor on the clinical outcome of patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma treated with R-CHOP regimen

AIM & METHODS: To assess the impact of pretreatment serum levels of IL-18 and soluble IL-2 receptor (sIL-2R) on the clinical outcome of patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma treated with an R-CHOP protocol. Total 73 patients were included. RESULTS: Elevated serum IL-18 (using mean as cutoff) was associated with numerically lower complete remission, and 3-year disease-free survival rates; however, the difference was not statistically significant. Nevertheless, the 3-year overall survival rates were significantly more favorable for the lower serum level group. Correspondingly, the complete remission, 3-year disease-free survival and overall survival rates for patients with low pretreatment sIL-2R levels were significantly better than individuals with higher levels. CONCLUSION: There is a growing body of evidence supporting the utility of pretreatment serum levels of sIL-2R and IL-18 as prognostic factors in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma patients.