Background: Some patients with malignant lymphoma do not manifest superficial lymphadenopathy. In such cases, clinical parameters that indicate the number of tumor cells are important for the assessment of tumor growth and choice of proper treatment. We evaluated urinary pseudouridine (U-PU) as an indicator of the growth of malignant lymphoma by comparing its levels with serum concentrations of other clinical parameters in patients with various lymphomas at various stages.
Methods: Urine was obtained from 67 patients with lymphoma. U-PU was assayed by recombinant Fab-based inhibition ELISA. Serum soluble IL2 receptor (sIL2R), serum deoxythymidine kinase (dTK), serum beta-2 microglobulin (beta2MG) and serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) were also assayed.
Results: U-PU concentrations showed good correlations with serum concentrations of beta2MG, LDH, sIL2R and dTK. The level of U-PU was higher in stage IV than in stages I (P=0.023), II (P=0.006) and III (P=0.036).
Conclusion: U-PU concentration correlates with the clinical stage of lymphoma and is a useful tool to assess the growth of lymphoma.