Elevated soluble IL-2 receptor levels correlate with tumor bulk of follicular lymphomas with intestinal involvement

• 44 follicular lymphoma patients with gastrointestinal involvement were examined.
• Patients with high sIL-2R levels had inferior FLIPI risk.
• sIL-2R may be an independent prognostic index in these patients.
• Elevated sIL-2R levels were correlated with large tumor bulk.
• sIL-2R may be a good indicator for monitoring disease relapse or progression.

ObjectivesEstablish a correlation between serum soluble interleukin 2 receptor (sIL-2R) levels and clinical characteristics of follicular lymphoma patients with gastrointestinal involvement.Design and methodsPatients (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.ResultsPatients 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.ConclusionssIL-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.