JP2016080672A - Detection method of malignant lymphoma - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To allow quick and easy determination of initial malignant lymphoma, by only blood test, and allow quick and easy determination when one should receive PET-CT.SOLUTION: A lymphocyte ratio in all white blood cells is calculated in blood test, and when the value is lower than a lower limit of a health range, it is determined that one may suffer from malignant lymphoma. In addition, when the value is lower than the lower limit of the health range, it is determined that one should receive PET-CT.

Description

  The present invention relates to a rapid and simple detection method that can detect even early malignant lymphoma safely and inexpensively.

  It is best to find cancer early and treat it from an early stage. However, in many cases, cancer has almost no subjective symptoms until the end stage, and when it is noticed, it is often difficult to treat because it is extremely advanced or metastasized.

  Malignant lymphoma is a cancer of lymphocytes and is no exception in that there is almost no subjective symptom until the end stage, and it is easy to find malignant lymphoma, especially diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, which is common in Japanese in its early stages. Because there was no detection method, initial discovery has been considered difficult.

  On the other hand, several means have been developed as a method for detecting malignant lymphoma. For example, PET-CT (positron emission test), contrast medium CT, ultrasonography, measurement of sIL-2R (solvable interleukin 2 receptor) which is a tumor marker, and the like.

  PET-CT is an extremely excellent test method in that only the cancer part can be specifically detected, and even relatively early ones can be detected. However, other than those who are certified as cancer and have a specialist, they are not eligible for health insurance, and if those who do not have a medical examination, they must pay a very high cost. There is also the problem of radiation exposure. Furthermore, there is a problem that it is difficult to know when the examination should be performed.

  This problem is particularly important. This is because there are various types of malignant lymphoma, and those that progress quickly progress weekly, so if they are not examined at the right time, they will be missed or too late. Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma is a moderately advanced malignant lymphoma that progresses on a monthly basis, but this may be overlooked or delayed at intervals of once a year. Therefore, there was a problem that the high cost and radiation exposure would increase if received frequently.

  In short, PET-CT is an excellent detection method in that even a relatively small early malignant lymphoma can be detected, but it is not a safe, inexpensive and simple detection method.

  The accuracy of the contrast agent CT is not inferior to that of PET-CT, but it is inferior to PET-CT, which can detect a tumor site with emphasis, and there is a problem of radiation exposure.

  Ultrasonography is inferior to PET-CT and contrast agent CT in terms of accuracy.

  The tumor marker sIL-2R is one item of blood test, but it is not included in the normal health checkup and examination items of a medical checkup, and requires a special request and is relatively expensive. Moreover, its value is affected by various diseases and does not necessarily represent only the pathology of malignant lymphoma.

  In short, although there are various detection methods, all have problems, and there has been a need for a safe, inexpensive, quick and simple detection method that can reliably detect even early malignant lymphoma.

Special table 2005-508171 public law Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2012-233889 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-163121

  The problem to be solved is that there was no safe, inexpensive, quick and simple detection method that can reliably detect even early malignant lymphomas that are difficult to produce subjective symptoms.

  Another point is that there was no quick and simple detection method for determining at which point PET-CT should be consulted.

  The present invention performs a blood test, and determines that there is a suspicion of malignant lymphoma when the proportion of lymphocytes in total white blood cells is outside the lower limit of normal normal range It is a quick and simple method for detecting lymphoma.

  If it is suspected, PET-CT is consulted, but the present invention is also a quick and simple detection method for determining the time of the visit.

  The present inventor is a person who became end-stage diffuse large B-cell lymphoma in January 2012 and remissioned by administration of an anticancer drug, but relapsed in May 2014. If there are no abnormalities in the tumor markers and other values in the blood test, we have decided to visit once a year, and when we visited PET-CT in May 26, one year after the previous visit, it happened to be early malignant A recurrence of lymphoma was found.

  Blood tests show the concentration and proportion of red blood cells and white blood cells. Among them, leukocytes are composed of neutrophils, granulocytes, lymphocytes, etc., and the proportion of the composition is kept almost constant for healthy individuals. For example, in the case of the present inventor, as shown in Table 1, the proportion of lymphocytes in the total leukocytes is in the range of approximately 25 to 40 percent.

  However, when the first malignant lymphoma was affected in January and February 24, and when it recurred in May and June 26, the value dropped significantly from the lower limit of 25 percent. The reason for the decline is not clear, but there is no doubt about the reproducibility because the decline was seen at two different times, the first onset and recurrence after 2 years. In addition, the end stage of malignant lymphoma, January 24, is significantly lower than the early May 26, 26.

  As to whether or not the decrease in the proportion of lymphocytes in total leukocytes is related to the presence or stage of malignant lymphoma, as shown in Example 1, total leukocytes at the time of unaffected, early stage of disease, and end stage of malignant lymphoma The change in the proportion of lymphocytes in the brain and the change in the stage of malignant lymphoma as seen from PET-CT clearly correspond to each other, so it can be said that they are definitely related.

  From this, blood tests can be performed to calculate the proportion of lymphocytes in total white blood cells, and even early malignant lymphomas can be quickly and easily determined simply by checking whether they deviate downward from the normal value range. Can be judged.

  It can also be used as a method for determining when to receive PET-CT.

  To date, there has been no indication that malignant lymphoma has a reduced proportion of lymphocytes in total white blood cells, but there has been no indication that it begins to decline sensitively from the early stages of malignant lymphoma. Moreover, there was no indication that even if this phenomenon was used, even early malignant lymphoma could be determined, and it would be a measure of when to receive PET-CT.

  The effect of the present invention is that even an early malignant lymphoma can be detected safely, inexpensively, quickly and easily with only a general test such as a blood test, and an appropriate timing for receiving PET-CT can be quickly and easily determined. .

Brief description of tables and figures

[Table 1] Table 1 shows the data of the present inventor's 14-year blood test and PET-CT. The percentage of lymphocytes, the degree of FDG accumulation in PET-CT, and the stage of malignant lymphoma are in the order of examination date. It is shown.

  FDG accumulation is based on the fact that radioactive fluorine-substituted FDG (fluorodeoxyglucose) used in PET-CT is taken up by tumor cells more than normal cells, and the degree of accumulation is the presence, size, and activity of the tumor. It is intended to be an indicator of The stage of disease is determined by the extent of the tumor in the PET-CT image.

  The purpose of providing a safe, inexpensive, quick and simple method for detecting malignant lymphoma from the early stage was realized simply by performing a blood test.

  In addition, the purpose of providing a method for quickly and easily determining when to receive PET-CT was realized simply by performing a blood test.

  From Table 1, the percentage of healthy lymphocytes not affected by malignant lymphoma is between 25 percent and 39.7 percent. In May 25, 2013, when there is no disease, there is no accumulation of FDG.

  On the other hand, the proportion of lymphocytes at the end stage of malignant lymphoma in 1/24 and 12.4 is 11.6 to 13%, which is a significant decrease from the lower limit of 25% when not affected. In addition, FDG is strongly accumulated.

  Also in the case of May and June 26 in the early stage of malignant lymphoma, the proportion of lymphocytes falls from the lower limit of 25 percent to 23 to 17 percent. The FDG accumulation at each point in time is weak and accumulation, and is less than the strong accumulation in January 2012.

  The present invention is based on the inventors' own data shown in Table 1, and is an invention that can be achieved because it has experienced malignant lymphoma disease, remission, and recurrence. Therefore, I hope that the present invention is widely useful for early detection of malignant lymphoma in the medical field.

  Whether or not a patient has malignant lymphoma can be determined quickly and easily by simply performing a blood test without undergoing PET-CT at a medical site.

  Moreover, it is possible to quickly and easily determine when to receive a PET-CT simply by performing a blood test.

Claims (4)

  Rapid and simple detection method for determining the presence or absence of malignant lymphoma, particularly diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, characterized in that the proportion of lymphocytes in total white blood cells is less than the lower limit of the normal range in blood tests   The method of claim 1, wherein the proportion of lymphocytes is less than 25 percent.   Rapid and simple detection method for determining the timing of PET-CT visits, characterized in that the proportion of lymphocytes in total white blood cells in blood tests is less than the lower limit of the normal range   The method of claim 3, wherein the proportion of lymphocytes is less than 25 percent.