Background  

The reliability of selected serum markers and radiological features for distinguishing malignant lymphoma of the bone from other osteolytic bone lesions was examined in an effort to improve the differential diagnosis.

Methods  

A total of 23 patients with histologically verified malignant lymphoma of the bone, 57 patients with other osteolytic malignancies (35 males, 22 females; mean age 62.8 years, range 13–89 years), and 13 patients with benign bone lesions that resemble malignant tumor radiographically (6 men, 7 women; mean age 48.1 years, range 20–73 years) were retrospectively reviewed. We evaluated the serum levels of soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R), lactate dehydrogenase, and C-reactive protein in addition to radiographic examination and gallium-67 scanning.

Results  

Although every clinical feature examined was found to show significant differences between lymphoma and the other two groups, the feature most highly suggestive of malignant lymphoma is a high serum sIL-2R level (sensitivity 0.95, specificity 0.70, accuracy 0.81).

Conclusions  

The serum sIL-2R level can be a valuable marker for diagnosing malignant lymphoma of the bone.