Diagnostic Rate of Malignant Lymphoma Using Soluble Interleukin 2 Receptor Levels in Patients with Cervical Lymphadenopathy

[摘要] Background and Objectives Cervical lymph node enlargement is observed in variousdiseases, including malignant lymphoma (ML). Open biopsy of the enlarged lymph node isfrequently required for diagnosis, especially when ML is suspected. Serum levels of solubleinterleukin 2 receptor (sIL-2R) may be useful as a biomarker of ML. This study aimed todetermine whether the measurement of serum sIL-2R levelsmight be useful to diagnose ML.Materials and Methods We retrospectively reviewed the data of 281 patients who hadundergone open cervical lymph node biopsy at our institution between 2015 and 2019,including 157 males and 124 females (age range, 5–90 years). Data on the patients’ age,final diagnosis, and serum sIL-2R levels were obtained from their medical records.Results Overall, 184 cases of MLs and 97 cases of other diseases (non-MLs [NMLs])were recorded. The mean age was significantly higher and mean serum sIL-2R levelswere significantly higher in the ML group than in the NML group. In the ML group, theserum sIL-2R levels were significantly higher in patients with T cell lymphoma than inthose with B cell lymphoma. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curveof the serum sIL-2R level for predicting ML was 0.711, and a serum sIL-2R level of 1,246U/mL was associated with the maximum value of the sensitivity þ specificity for thediagnosis of ML. Multivariate analysis revealed that the area under the receiveroperating characteristic curve increased to 0.758 for patients aged >61 years andpatients with serum sIL-2R levels of >1,246 U/mL.Conclusions Among patients presenting with cervical lymphadenopathy, the measurement of serum sIL-2R levels could be useful for distinguishing between patientswith and without ML, with a cutoff level of 1,246 U/mL for the diagnosis of ML.

[关键词] cervical lymph node swelling;open biopsy;sIL-2R;malignant lymphoma