Clinical significance of the serum IL-2R level and Ga-67 scan findings in making a differential diagnosis between sarcoidosis and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

Objective To compare the serum- soluble interleukin-2 receptor ( sIL-2R) levels of non- Hodgkin's lymphoma patients and active sarcoidosis patients in relation to the Ga-67 scan findings. Methods A total of 29 adenopathy patients suspected of having non-Hodgkin's lymphoma or sarcoidosis were enrolled in the study. All patients underwent a whole-body 67Ga scan and single- photon emission computed tomography studies 48 h after intravenous injection of 67Ga citrate. The sIL-2R levels were compared between the sarcoidosis patients and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients, the patients with and without the panda and/ or lambda sign, the lymphoma patients with stage I/II disease and with stage III/IV disease, and the sarcoidosis patients and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients with stage III/ IV disease. Results The range of the sIL-2R levels was 195-3750 U/ ml in sarcoidosis and 240-62 300 U/ml in non- Hodgkin's lymphoma. The sIL-2R levels of the six non- Hodgkin's lymphoma patients with stage III/ IV disease were signifi cantly higher than those of the 15 sarcoidosis patients (P < 0.001). The sIL-2R levels of the sarcoidosis patients with the panda and/ or lambda sign were signifi cantly higher than those with neither sign (P < 0.005). The sIL2R levels of the non- Hodgkin's lymphoma patients with stage III/ IV disease were signifi cantly higher than those of the patients with stage I/ II disease (P < 0.005). Conclusions Measurement of sIL-2R levels was sometimes useful in differentiating between sarcoidosis and stage III/ IV non- Hodgkin's lymphoma, staging non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and predicting the presence of the panda and/ or lambda sign in sarcoidosis patients.