Low cholesterol levels can be detected in solid tumors and hematological malignancies such as muliple myeloma. Moreover chloesterol levels reduced in some experimental studies of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). In this retrospective multicenter study, lipid levels were retrospectively evaluated in 420 (264 male and 256 female with mean age 64 ± 11 years) patients with newly diagnosed CLL, according to the International CLL study group. 71 (28 male and 43 female with mean age 55 ± 9 years) healthy subjects as control group were included to this study. Lipid parameters such as total cholesterol (TC), high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), very low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (VLDL-C), and triglyceride levels were measured with enzymatic/ calorimetric method and Architect C800 instrument. Low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) levels were calculated according to Friedwald formula. Lipid parameters between two groups were compared with Mann-Whitney U test. A value of p< 0.05 was accepted as statistically significant. According to Binet classification, 60% of patients were in stage A, while 25% of them were in stage C. In CLL patients, the levels of TC, HDL-C, and LDL-C were lower than those of control group (p=0.001). There was no significantly difference for triglyceride and VLDL-C levels between two groups (p>0.05) (Table-1). The levels of TC, LDL-C, and HDL-C in the patients with stage C were lower than those of both stage A and stage B (Table-2). Low cholesterol levels in patients with CLL may occur due to increased use of cholesterol by lymphocytes.

Table-1

Lipid parameters in control group and CLL patients

CLL (N:420)Control (N:71)P value
TC (mg/dl) 175±41 217±36 <0.001 
HDL-C (mg/dl) 37±11 53±14 <0.001 
LDL-C (mg/dl) 108±30 131±29 <0.001 
Triglyceride (mg/dl) 140±71 147±68 >0.05 
VLDL-C (mg/dl) 31±17 31±17 >0.05 
CLL (N:420)Control (N:71)P value
TC (mg/dl) 175±41 217±36 <0.001 
HDL-C (mg/dl) 37±11 53±14 <0.001 
LDL-C (mg/dl) 108±30 131±29 <0.001 
Triglyceride (mg/dl) 140±71 147±68 >0.05 
VLDL-C (mg/dl) 31±17 31±17 >0.05 
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Table 2

Lipid parameters in the patients according to Binet classification

Stage A (n:255)Stage B(n:61)Stage C(n:104)P value
TC(mg/dl) 183±38 179±43 156±40 <0.001 
HDL-C(mg/dl) 40±12 37±12 32±12 <0.001 
LDL-C (mg/dl) 112±28 110±33 98±30 <0.001 
Triglyceride (mg/dl) 141±76 136±53 141±68 >0.05 
VLDL-C(mg/dl) 30±15 35±33 31±13 >0.05 
Stage A (n:255)Stage B(n:61)Stage C(n:104)P value
TC(mg/dl) 183±38 179±43 156±40 <0.001 
HDL-C(mg/dl) 40±12 37±12 32±12 <0.001 
LDL-C (mg/dl) 112±28 110±33 98±30 <0.001 
Triglyceride (mg/dl) 141±76 136±53 141±68 >0.05 
VLDL-C(mg/dl) 30±15 35±33 31±13 >0.05 
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Disclosures:

Sonmez:Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, Turkey: Membership on an entity’s Board of Directors or advisory committees.

Topics:
cholesterol measurement test, chronic b-cell leukemias, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, high density lipoprotein cholesterol, ldl cholesterol lipoproteins, cholesterol, lipids, lipoproteins, vldl, triglycerides, lipoproteins

Author notes

*

Asterisk with author names denotes non-ASH members.

© 2013 by The American Society of Hematology
2013
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