Serum copper in Hodgkin's disease in children

A study of 37 cases of Hodgkin's disease in children, including 669 serum copper levels (SCL), has demonstrated a clinically useful relationship between SCL and the disease process. SCL are high in untreated Hodgkin's disease, falling to normal levels when the clinical findings change from recognized disease to unrecognized or absent disease. SCL rises to abnormal levels upon relapse, and provides an indication of relapse before clinical findings. These relations are even more pronounced in Stage IV Hodgkin's disease and with systemic symptoms due to the disease, and are not present in the limited number of lymphocytic predominance cases. A typical case reflecting response of SCL to treatment and predicting relapse is included, as well as an exceptional case with nonresponsive SCL and unusual clinical and histologic pattern. Serum copper levels provide a valuable aid in the determination and evaluation of activity in Hodgkin's disease.