Interleukin-1 alpha producing synovial sarcoma with prolonged fever: a case report.

The patient had a synovial sarcoma of the monophasic fibrous type accompanied by prolonged spike fever. Wide excision of the tumor resulted in the disappearance of her fever. The tumor cells showed interleukin-1 alpha (IL-1 alpha) expression immunohistochemically. IL-1 alpha cDNA was detected in the tumor by RT-PCR, the sequences of which were identical with those of normal human IL-1 alpha molecules. These results indicated that IL-1 alpha, one of the fever-inducing cytokines, was expressed by sarcoma cells in the present case, which were thought to be a causative factor of the fever.