SERUM IL-6 CONCENTRATIONS IN LYMPHOMAS

Recently Du Villard et a1 (1995) have reported serum IL-6 measurements in monoclonal gammopathies. Elevated concentrations (> 3 3 5 pglml) were found in 45% of patients with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL). 35% of patients with multiple myeloma (MM), and 0% of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemias (CLL). The serum IL-6 concentrations found in their controls (200 pg/ml) and patients were much higher than those reported in previous studies for controls (5 pg/ml) and MM patients (40 pg/ml) (Ludwig et al, 1991; Greco et al, 1992). Using our collection of serum samples, taken during the last 9 months and stored at -8O”C, serum IL-6 levels were measured with IL6 ELISA kit (TEBU, France) in 25 patients with NHL (mean age 62 f 4 years, sex ratio man/woman 1*5), 12 patients with Hodgkin’s lymphoma (HL) (mean age 43 f 5, sex ratio 2) and six patients with CLL (mean age 70 f 2, sex ratio 1) and compared with 41 control subjects (mean age 66 f 1, sex ratio 5).