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Abstract
Hairy cell leukemia (HCL) is almost constantly characterized by the presence of very high levels of a soluble form of the interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R). Since several other hematologic neoplasias also display very high levels of sIL-2R, this feature cannot be considered specific for HCL. On the other hand, most of the above hematologic disorders are also characterized by the presence of detectable levels of the soluble CD30 molecule (sCD30). In the present study we investigated the sera from 22 patients with HCL for the presence of detectable circulating levels of sCD30 in combination with the detection of sIL-2R. In this report we demonstrate that the high serum levels of sIL-2R found in all HCL patients were never associated with the presence of sCD30. Since this pattern is unlikely to be found in neoplastic conditions other than HCL, we suggest that the combined serum determinations of sIL-2R and sCD30 be used as a reliable additional tool for the diagnosis of HCL.