Serum Beta-2-microglobulin in patients with malignant lymphyoma

Serum Beta-2-microglobulins （s-β₂m） were measured by radioimmunoassay in 27 patients with Hodgkin’s Disease （HD） and 57 patients with Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma （NHL）. In patients before treatment, the s-β₂m levels were significantly higher in patients during active stage than that in complete remission （GR） and in normal controls （P＜0.001）. However, the s-β₂m levels were not statistically different between CR patients and normal controls （P＞0.05）. In NHL, the levels of s-β₂m were higher in untreated and NR ones（P＜0.001）. A significant association was also found between s-β₂m and stage of disease （P＜0.01） and the presence of B symptoms （P=0.05）. Dynamic studies can probably provide some prognostci information during treatment. The result suggests that the s-β₂m can reflect the status of the disease and may be used as a monitoring tool for the effectiveness of therapy.