Interleukin-10 in Epstein-Barr virus-associated post-transplant lymphomas

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Abstract
We used enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) to investigate the presence of interleukin‐10 (IL‐10) in the serum of patients developing post‐transplant lymphomas. Serum IL‐10 was detected in 14 out of 19 cases with a lymphoma or Hodgkin's disease, with higher values being observed in patients who had developed a lymphoma within the first few months post‐transplantation, and who had an aggressive form of the disease. Eleven out of the 14 patients in whom IL‐10 was detected had Epstein–Barr virus‐positive tumors. And 11 out of 14 patients died of lymphomas. In most of the patients who had detectable IL‐10 at the time of diagnosis of the lymphoma, the IL‐10 had not been present previously, but it was found in the serum of 7 out of 9 dialysis patients, and in 8 out of 17 stable transplant patients. We conclude that IL‐10 plays a role in the development of the more severe forms of post‐transplant lymphomas, and may be secreted by tumor cells. However, data from patients with chronic renal failure or patients undergoing immunosuppressive therapy must be treated with caution.