beta 2-microglogulin levels in cancerous and other disease states.

Serum beta2-microglobulin levels were measured, by radioimmunoassay, in patients suffering from a variety of benign and malignant clinical disorders. Elevated beta 2-microglobulin values were found in neoplastic and non-neoplastic disorders affecting a variety of organs. The most striking increases in beta 2-microglobulin are found in the plasma cell dyscrazias and several solid tumors, particularly those affecting the lung. Lymphoid neoplasms demonstrate a spectrum of changes of serum beta 2-microglobulin. At the one end of this spectrum were the plasma cell tumors, which show a high incidence of raised beta 2-microglobulin levels, while patients with Hodgkin's disease rarely show such increases in circulating beta 2-microglobulin.