DETECTION OF CIRCULATING ICAM-1 AND SOLUBLE IL-2 RECEPTOR IN SERUM OF COLORECTAL-CANCER PATIENTS

Malignancies are often associated with alterations of some immunological parameters. The evaluation of soluble molecules in serum is an important non-invasive approach in order to verifty the immune condition of cancer patients. Recently, alterations of soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R) production have been observed in neoplastic diseases. In this study, serum levels of sIL-2R and circulating intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (clCAM-1) were assessed, using enzyme immunological tests (ELISA), in 38 patients with colorectal cancer at diagnosis and 32 healthy subjects. No difference in clCAM-1 levels was found; a statistically significant increase of sIL-2R was found in colon cancer patients (p < 0.0001). No correlation of sIL-2R with stage of the disease and other histopathologic parameters was found. A significant correlation was found between clCAM-1 and histologic grading of tumour cell differentiation and between sIL-2R and clCAM-1. These data suggest that in colorectal adenocarcinoma sIL-2R may be important in the pathogenesis of immune alterations associated with tumour progression.