Prognostic value of serum CD44 ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 levels in patients with indolent non-Hodgkin lymphomas

摘要

Elevated serum CD44, ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 have been linked to poor prognosis in aggressive lymphomas but their utility in low grade lymphomas remains undefined. We evaluated serum CD44, VCAM-1 and ICAM-1 levels in 100 patients with newly diagnosed indolent NHL. The median pre-treatment values of the markers were as follows: CD44: 540 ng/ml (range 102 – 1222), ICAM-1: 311 ng/ml (range 248 – 4779) and VCAM-1: 1165 ng/ml (range 248 – 4779). On univariate analysis, elevated sCD44, sICAM-1 and sVCAM-1 were significantly associated with worse overall (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). In a subset analysis of stage IV patients, the effects of sCD44 and sICAM-1 on OS persisted (p<0.05), as did the effect of sCD44 on PFS (p<0.01). In a multivariate analysis that included conventional prognostic factors and the FLIPI model, sICAM-1 demonstrated prognostic value on OS and PFS. We conclude that serum CD44, ICAM-1, and VCAM-1 can potentially be prognostic in patients with indolent NHL. Though the FLIPI model remains the gold standard for prognosis, these quantitative serologic markers may be useful as adjunct tools in assessing disease risk.