Soluble CD30 measured after lung transplantation does not predict bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome in a tacrolimus/mycophenolate mofetil-based immunosuppressive regimen.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to determine the utility of post-transplant serum soluble CD30 levels as a biomarker for the development of the bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS) after lung transplantation during a tacrolimus/mycophenolate mofetil-based regimen.
METHODS: Soluble CD30 (sCD30) concentrations were measured prior to transplantation and in 175 samples taken after transplantation in 7 patients developing BOS and 7 non-BOS patients closely matched for age, underlying diseases, follow-up and gender.
RESULTS: High pre-transplant sCD30 levels dropped significantly after lung transplantation, but in the post-transplant samples no differences could be detected between patients developing BOS or not, and no changes were found prior to or during the development of BOS.
CONCLUSIONS: After transplantation, sCD30 levels are consistently suppressed, but BOS is not prevented, indicating that sCD30 cannot be used as a biomarker to predict BOS after transplantation in the regimen employed.