Is There a Role for Growth and Differentiation Factor-15 in B-Cell Lymphoproliferative Neoplasms?

Danijela Agić; Velibor Čabarkapa; Ivana Milošević; Ivanka Perčić; Amir El Farra; Stanislava Nikolić; Borivoj Sekulić; Nada Vlaisavljević; Aleksandar Savić; Ivana Urošević; Stevan L Popović

doi:10.1007/s12288-023-01695-6

Is There a Role for Growth and Differentiation Factor-15 in B-Cell Lymphoproliferative Neoplasms?

Indian J Hematol Blood Transfus. 2024 Apr;40(2):213-219. doi: 10.1007/s12288-023-01695-6. Epub 2023 Sep 17.

Authors

Danijela Agić^{1

2}, Velibor Čabarkapa^{3

4}, Ivana Milošević^{1

2}, Ivanka Perčić^{1

2}, Amir El Farra^{1

2}, Stanislava Nikolić^{3

4}, Borivoj Sekulić^{1

2}, Nada Vlaisavljević¹, Aleksandar Savić^{1

2}, Ivana Urošević^{1

2}, Stevan L Popović^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Clinic for Hematology, University Clinical Center of Vojvodina, Novi Sad, Serbia.
² Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Novi Sad, Hajduk Veljka 3, Novi Sad, 21000 Serbia.
³ Center for Laboratory Medicine, University Clinical Center of Vojvodina, Novi Sad, Serbia.
⁴ Department of Pathophysiology and Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia.

PMID: 38708149
PMCID: PMC11065822 (available on 2025-04-01)
DOI: 10.1007/s12288-023-01695-6

Abstract

Growth and differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15) correlates with worse outcome of many tumours and any cause mortality. Data about its role in lymphoproliferative neoplasms (LPN) are scarce. Our research aimed to reveal the correlation between GDF-15 and standard laboratory parameters of LPN activity, and to get insight into the possible value of this cytokine assessment in lymphoma patients. Prospective research included 40 patients treated for aggressive or indolent LPN, and 31 with indolent LPN on "watch and wait" regimen. Analyses were performed before and after treatment in treated patients and on two separate occasions in the "watch and wait" group. ELISA technique with R&D assays according to the manufacturer manual, from stored sera at - 70 °C was used for GDF-15 level measurement. Statistical analyses were performed by IBM SPSS Statistics 22 using descriptive and inferential statistics. As appropriate, differences between groups were assessed by two tailed t-test, Mann-Whitney or x² test. Spearman Rank Order Correlation was done to correlate GDF-15 with standard laboratory markers of disease activity. All tests are two-tailed with significance level p < 0. 05. GDF-15 (p = 0.028) and fibrinogen (p = 0.001) concentrations increased after treatment in indolent lymphoma patients while β2 microglobulin decreased (p < 0.001). GDF-15 positively correlated with β2microglobulin before (p < 0.001) and after (p = 0.031) therapy. There were no differences in any of the aforementioned parameters in the "watch and wait" group during observation. A positive correlation between GDF-15 and β2 microglobulin in patients with indolent LPN who need treatment suggests potential value in risk assessment.

Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12288-023-01695-6.

Keywords: Beta 2-microglobulin; Growth differentiation factor 15; Lymphoproliferative disorders; Risk assessment.

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