Purpose: This study was performed to examine possible use of thymidine kinase 1 concentration in serum (STK1) for prognosis of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients following chemotherapy treatment.
Methods: The STK1 levels of 37 patients were determined by enhanced chemiluminescent dot-blot assay on the day before chemotherapy, and on day 1 and day 28 after start of the treatment. The specificity and sensitivity was evaluated by Western blot with anti-TK1 IgY antibody and by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis.
Results: Western blot and ROC analysis of TK1 in serum showed high specificity and sensitivity. The mean STK1 level of the non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients was significantly higher compared to healthy persons (p < 0.001). The mean STK1 level increased significantly (p < 0.001) on day 1 and then declined, reaching on day 28 values corresponding to those of healthy persons. The mean STK1 values before treatment and at 1 and 28 days after start of the treatment also correlated significantly with the clinical response (CR, PR and NR) and five-year survival.
Conclusion: Although the number of patients was limited in this study, TK1 in serum might possess an important reference value in the evaluation of treatment and prognosis of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma following chemotherapy.