Clinical significance of elevated soluble interleukin‐6 receptor levels in the sera of patients with plasma cell dyscrasias

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Abstract
Summary .We investigated the clinical significance of the serum soluble interleukin‐6 receptor (sIL‐6R) in 42 patients with plasma cell dyscrasias (27 with multiple myeloma (MM), 13 with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS), and two with plasma cell leukaemia (PCL)). Serum levels of sIL‐6R in normal individuals were 77 ± 21 ng/ml (mean ± SD, n= 18); those in patients with MGUS and with MM were elevated (102 ± 33 ng/ml, mean ± SD, P < 0–05 and 126 ± 60ng/ml, mean ± SD, P < 0–01, respectively). Significant correlations were not found between the serum levels of sIL‐6R and known prognostic factors (C‐reactive protein, haemoglobin levels, calcium, creatinine, β2‐microglobulin, amounts of M‐protein, or percentages of plasma cells in bone marrow). Elevated serum sIL‐6R did not affect the survival of the patients with MM. Serial measurements of sIL‐6R together with the clinical course of patients with plasma cell neoplasias revealed a good correlation between the sIL‐6R level and disease activity. We conclude that sIL‐6R can be used as a clinical factor correlated with the disease activity, at least in some patients with plasma cell neoplasias.