Zachariae C, Larsen CS, Kaltoft K, Deleuran B, Larsen CG, Thestrup-Pedersen K
DOI: 10.2340/0001555571465470

We examined the immune activation in 20 patients with mycosis fungoides, 6 patients with erythrodermia of unknown origin (Pré-Sézary's syndrome), 5 with lymphomatoid papulosis, 4 with parapsoriasis, 2 with Sézary's syndrome, and 2 with actinic reticuloid, by measuring soluble interleukin-2 receptor levels in serum. In Mycosis fungoides we observed normal levels in 3 patients (less than 500 units/ml), between 500 and 1000 units/ml in 9 patients, and greater than 1000 units/ml in 5 patients. Four of these 5 patients died within one year after this observation, as did 2 patients with Pré-Sézary and Sézary's syndrome, respectively, who had a similarly large increase in sIL2R. Although sIL2R is not a specific parameter for cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, a value above 1000 units/ml is correlated with clinical disease activity and is a serious prognostic parameter. We also studied cytokine activity in epidermal homogenates from 9 patients with Mycosis fungoides and one patient with Sézary's syndrome. We observed interleukin-1-like activity within the normal range for healthy skin. However, we also observed in the same epidermal homogenates a T-lymphocyte chemotactic activity in patients with stage II, but not in stage I. The nature of this activity is not yet fully elucidated, but it may be an important biological factor for the epidermal T-cell accumulation in this disorder.