{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,5]],"date-time":"2025-12-05T03:42:10Z","timestamp":1764906130567,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":35,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"10","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,9,22]],"date-time":"2022-09-22T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1663804800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Medicina"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background and Objectives: Procalcitonin (PCT) is a useful biomarker for the diagnosis of sepsis. Inflammatory markers are elevated in patients with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL), and yet ongoing infection rarely coexists at diagnosis. PCT levels might be helpful in differentiating bacterial from disease-related inflammation. Materials and Methods: We evaluated serum PCT levels and other inflammation markers in newly diagnosed HL patients. Values &lt; 0.50 ng\/mL were considered normal (0.10\u20130.50 ng\/mL: detectable, &lt;0.10 ng\/mL: undetectable), while values \u2265 0.50 ng\/L were considered elevated. Results: Among 137 patients, 55 had B symptoms (40%), 77\/130 (59%) had elevated Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR) and 116 (85%) had elevated C-Reactive Protein (CRP) (median 38.1 mg\/L (range; 2.97\u2013328)). PCT levels were normal in most patients (undetectable 94\/137 (68.5%) and detectable 41\/137(30%)) with median value &lt; 0.10 ng\/mL (range; &lt;0.10\u201315.90). Elevated PCT was recorded in only two patients (1.5%). Patients with PCT &lt; 0.10 ng\/mL had significantly lower median CRP (25.75; range (2.97\u2013203.0)) compared to patients with PCT \u2265 0.1 ng\/mL (median CRP 92.50 mg\/L; range (3.34\u2013328.0)). Almost all patients (40\/41, 97.6%) with detectable PCT had elevated CRP. Conclusions: This is the first study showing that the inflammation characterizing HL is not associated with PCT elevations, although CRP levels are elevated in 85% of the patients. Normal PCT levels may rule out the possibility of occult infection, thus preventing extensive evaluation, which may delay treatment initiation.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/medicina58101331","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,9,22]],"date-time":"2022-09-22T21:10:05Z","timestamp":1663881005000},"page":"1331","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":6,"title":["Serum Procalcitonin Levels in Newly Diagnosed Hodgkin Lymphoma: Correlation with Other Inflammatory Biomarkers"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"58","author":[{"given":"Alexia","family":"Piperidou","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Haematology and Bone Marrow Transplantation, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Laikon General Hospital, 11527 Athens, Greece"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Eleftherios","family":"Zografos","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Haematology and Bone Marrow Transplantation, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Laikon General Hospital, 11527 Athens, Greece"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Theodoros J.","family":"Vassilakopoulos","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Third Department of Critical Care Medicine, Evgenideio Hospital, 11528 Athens, Greece"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Maria K.","family":"Angelopoulou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Haematology and Bone Marrow Transplantation, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Laikon General Hospital, 11527 Athens, Greece"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Georgios","family":"Hillas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Fifth Respiratory Medicine Department, Sotiria Chest Hospital, 11527 Athens, Greece"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Vassiliki","family":"Pappis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Haematology and Bone Marrow Transplantation, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Laikon General Hospital, 11527 Athens, Greece"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"George","family":"Boutsikas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Haematology and Bone Marrow Transplantation, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Laikon General Hospital, 11527 Athens, Greece"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8197-9895","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Maria","family":"Dimou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Haematology and Bone Marrow Transplantation, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Laikon General Hospital, 11527 Athens, Greece"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Kyriaki","family":"Petevi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Haematology and Bone Marrow Transplantation, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Laikon General Hospital, 11527 Athens, Greece"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Alexandros","family":"Kanellopoulos","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Haematology and Bone Marrow Transplantation, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Laikon General Hospital, 11527 Athens, Greece"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Marie-Christine","family":"Kyrtsonis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Haematology Clinical Trial Unit, First Department of Propaedeutic and Internal Medicine, Laikon General Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Panayiotis","family":"Panayiotidis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Haematology and Bone Marrow Transplantation, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Laikon General Hospital, 11527 Athens, Greece"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Theodoros P.","family":"Vassilakopoulos","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Haematology and Bone Marrow Transplantation, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Laikon General Hospital, 11527 Athens, Greece"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,9,22]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"569","DOI":"10.1002\/phar.2112","article-title":"Procalcitonin Monitoring as a Guide for Antimicrobial Therapy: A Review of Current Literature","volume":"38","author":"Covington","year":"2018","journal-title":"Pharmacotherapy"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1512","DOI":"10.1210\/jc.2002-021444","article-title":"Clinical Review 167: Procalcitonin and the Calcitonin Gene Family of Peptides in Inflammation, Infection, and Sepsis: A Journey from Calcitonin Back to Its Precursors","volume":"89","author":"Becker","year":"2004","journal-title":"J. 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