CD8+ T cells and the IL-33/ST2 axis remained essential mediators of disease; however, IFNγ-independent HLH immunopathology correlated with a 10-15-fold increase in neutrophilia (P < 0.001) and an altered cytokine milieu dominated by IL-6, IL-1β, and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) (P < 0.05).
We examined the expression of interleukin-1 alpha (IL-1 alpha), IL-1 beta, IL-2, IL-3, IL-4 and granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) at the mRNA level in fresh leukemic cells from 20 adult T cell leukemia patients to see whether there is any association between cytokine expression and HTLV-I expression and between their expression and clinical manifestations such as hypercalcemia or neutrophilia.