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

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. 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. 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. Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most common subtype of non-Hodgkin lymphomas in Egypt. Since the introduction of rituximab, the utility of International Prognostic Index in DLBCL patients treated in the rituximab era has been questioned. Instead, biologic prognostic factors including cytokines are increasingly being investigated to stratify DLBCL patients. In this prospective single arm Phase II study, there is evidence supporting the utility of pretreatment serum levels of IL-18 and sIL-2R, which can be easily measured in clinical practice, as potential prognostic factors that may add additional information regarding response to treatment and outcome in DLBCL patients and could help stratify poor risk patients for more aggressive treatment.