Soluble CD30: A Possible Serum Tumor Marker for Primary Effusion Lymphoma

The serum level of soluble CD30 (sCD30) is known to be increased with several lymphomasand to correlate with prognosis. Primary effusion lymphoma (PEL) is a highly aggressive malignant lymphomawith poor prognosis, but the existence and significance of sCD30 in PEL have not yet been investigated in detail.
Objectives: Since the membrane type of CD30 is frequently expressed on the surface of PEL cells, we comparedthe expression of the membrane type of CD30 and the production of sCD30 among PEL cell lines as well asother lymphomas.
Methods: The expression of surface CD30 in various lymphoma cell lines was analyzed withflow cytometry ans sCD30 was quantified by ELISA.
Results: Both surface and sCD30 were detected on PELcell lines as well as on Hodgkin’s lymphoma and adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma cell lines. Surface CD30 andsCD30 levels of each cell lines correlated with each other.
Conclusion: The serum level of sCD30 appear to be auseful biological tumor marker for the diagnosis and management of CD30-positive PEL.