Preoperative serum soluble interleukin-2 receptor (IL-2R) levels were measured in patients with colorectal cancer, and correlated with various factors as stage, lymph node metastasis, liver metastasis, grade, serum CEA and IAP (immunosuppressive acidic protein). The levels of serum soluble IL-2R in Dukes stage C were significantly higher than in normal control and in Dukes stage A. Serum levels were also significantly higher in patients with lymph node metastasis than in patients without such metastasis, and in IAP positive patients compared to IAP negative patients. Preoperative serum IL-2R levels thus seem to reflect the stage of the disease.

No abstract

Serum-soluble interleukin-2 receptor (ssIL-2R) is released from its specific affinity membrane receptor on activated T lymphocytes and is detected as a form of the alpha-chain of IL-2R in the peripheral blood. We measured the ssIL-2R levels by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 29 healthy subjects and 39 patients with Graves' disease who were given antithyroid drugs to prepare them for surgical treatment. The preoperative ssIL-2R levels in Graves' patients were significantly higher than those in the healthy controls (681 +/- 387 vs 369 +/- 149 U/ml); in particular, the preoperative levels in hyperthyroid patients were significantly higher than those in euthyroid patients. On the 5th day after thyroid resection, their ssIL-2R levels (560 +/- 296 U/ml) were significantly lower than the preoperative levels. There were no correlations between the preoperative ssIL-2R levels and the immunological parameters such as thyroglobulin antibody, microsomal antibody, and thyroid-stimulating hormone receptor antibody. Thus, we conclude that ssIL-2R levels can be decreased by surgical resection of goiter in Graves' patients whose hyperthyroid status does not respond to the administration of antithyroid drugs, and this may be a useful indicator of immunological status after surgical treatment of Graves' disease.

The STATLase-SDL and DH have good hemostatic cutting ability and might be suitable for endoscopic surgery.