Prognostic value of thymidine kinase activity in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Thymidine kinase (TK) activity is a marker of biological activity that allows the indolent and aggressive forms of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) to be distinguished. The aims of the study were to determine the relationship between TK activity and clinical status and prognosis, as well as to compare its activity with that of other prognostic and predictive factors. TK activity was measured in patient sera at the time of diagnosis using the DiviTum method, with the mean value being 439 Du/L. A correlation was found between TK activity and risk of disease progression (p=0.045). The optimal discriminative value of TK activity in the prediction of CLL progression was found to be 600 Du/L. TK activity significantly differed between the patients who achieved complete remission and those who only partially responded to therapy. In 93% of patients without any response to treatment and 18 out of 20 patients with progressive disease, TK activity over 600 Du/L was noted. In addition, all of the 10 patients with 17p13 deletion displayed TK activity of over 600 Du/L (p=0.0004). High TK activity also correlated with elevated levels of LDH (p=0.001) and beta(2)-microglobulin (p=0.03) in the study group. The results of the study indicated the importance of TK activity as a prognostic factor in patients with CLL.