Effect of short-course high-dose methylprednisolone treatment on serum IL-2 levels in children with myelodysplastic syndromes: A pilot study

• Published in: Leukemia research Vol. 21; no. 8; pp. 789 - 791
• Main Authors: Yenicesu, Idil, Hiçsönmez, Gönül, Tuncer, A.Murat
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01-08-1997; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Adolescent; Antineoplastic agents; Biological and medical sciences; Chemotherapy; Child; Child, Preschool; Female; glucocorticoid; high-dose methylprednisolone; Humans; IL-2; Interleukin-2 - blood; Lymphocyte Count; Male; MDS; Medical sciences; Methylprednisolone - administration & dosage; Myelodysplastic Syndromes - blood; Myelodysplastic Syndromes - drug therapy; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Pilot Projects; glucocorticoid; IL-2, interleukin 2; MoAb, monoclonal antibody; HDMP, high-dose methylprednisolone; RAEB-t, refractory anemia with excess of blasts in transformation; IL-2; AML, acute myelogenous leukemia; MDS, myelodysplastic syndrome; ELISA, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; RAEB, refractory anemia with excess of blasts; CMML, chronic myelomonocytic leukemia; sIL-2r, soluble IL-2 receptor; G-CSF, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor; NK, natural killer; high-dose methylprednisolone; GM-CSF, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor; MDS; Human; Short term; Corticosteroid; Interleukin 2; Cytokine; Serum; Malignant hemopathy; Methylprednisolone; High dose; Child; Biological activity; Myelodysplastic syndrome
• ISSN: 0145-2126; 1873-5835
• DOI: 10.1016/S0145-2126(97)00035-0

Promising results in children with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) have been reported with high-dose methylprednisolone (HDMP) as a differentiation inducer, combined with cytotoxic chemotherapy. HDMP treatment has been shown to stimulate some cytokines in patients with acute leukemia. In the present study the effect of HDMP treatment on serum levels of interleukin 2 (IL-2) was evaluated in five children with MDS. Remarkable increases in serum IL-2 levels were observed 3 and 7 days after HDMP (30 mg/kg per day) treatment in three patients with chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML). There was no correlation between the peripheral blood absolute lymphocyte counts and serum IL-2 levels. The results of this preliminary study indicate that the use of short-course HDMP treatment might be beneficial to increase the serum IL-2 level in patients with CMML.