Serum soluble tumour necrosis factor receptor 55 is increased in patients with haematological neoplasias and is associated with immune activation and weight loss.

Enhanced concentrations of soluble forms of the receptor for tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha have been detected in the serum of cancer patients. We determined serum concentrations of soluble TNF receptor p55 (sTNF-R55) in patients with haematological neoplasias, 50 patients suffering from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (n = 35), Hodgkin's disease (n = 10) and multiple myeloma (n = 5). Compared with healthy controls and with patients with potential thyroid disease, significantly elevated concentrations of sTNF-R55 were found (mean +/- standard error: 2.68 +/- 0.22 vs. 1.23 +/- 0.21 ng/ml, P < 0.0001 and 2.18 +/- 0.32 ng/ml, P = 0.03). Likewise, neopterin concentrations were raised (19.6 +/- 3.66 vs. 5.3 +/- 0.25 nmol/l in controls, P < 0.0001). We found a significant correlation between sTNF-R55 and neopterin concentrations (Rs = 0.544, P < 0.001). Patients with weight loss showed higher sTNF-R55 concentrations than patients with stable weight. Our results confirm the relevance of sTNF-R55 concentrations in serum of patients with cancer.