ELEVATED SERUM LEVEL OF INTERLEUKIN-10 IN ADULT NEWLY DIAGNOSED NON-HODGKINS‘S LYMPHOMA

Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) is a group of lymphoproliferative malignant disorders with heterogeneous histological and clinical characteristics. Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is characterized by abnormal proliferation or accumulation of B or T lymphocytes. Cytokines are low-molecular-weight proteins with a wide variety of functions. They are involved in the regulation of both the immune and inflammatory response and also play significant roles in the pathogenesis of lymphoma. Aims: We aimed to investigate serum levels of Interleukin -10 in newly diagnosed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) patients and their relationship with clinicopathological characteristics and prognostic parameters. Methods: Serum level of IL-10 was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 60 patients with pathologically verified NHL before chemotherapy, and in 20 healthy controls. Results: A total of 60 patients with NHL, 32 men and 28 women. 24 were with Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), 8 with Mantel cell lymphoma( MCL), 2 with Peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL), 9 with Marginal zone lymphoma (MZL), 10 with Follicular lymphoma( FL), 1 patient with Plasmoablastic lymphoma(PBL) and 6 with Small-cell lymphoma( SCL)..There was significant differences in the serum IL-10 between NHL patients and controls ( p<0.001 ). Serum IL-10 levels were significantly different in the group of patients with aggressive NHL compared with the group of patients with inolent NHL (respectively p= 0.016). Also, serum IL-10 levels were elevated in the group of patients with high level LDH (p= 0.015) compared with the group of patients with a normal level. Multivariate analysis showed a significant difference between the two study groups in terms of IPI (p = 0.005), with a moderate correlation between the type of lymphoma and the risk profile of patients (r = 0.399; p = 0.002). In the group of patients with intermediate and high risk and elevated IL-10 levels have an unfavorable prognosis and short overall survival. Conclusion: Elevated levels of IL-10 are associated with increased tumor growth with poor prognosis and overall survival. Our data suggest that higher serum IL-10 levels could be an independent negative prognostic factor and correlates to poor survival