Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42039158›Full record

Observational studyFrontiers in immunology2026

CXCL13 as a simple and promising blood biomarker for differentiating Sézary syndrome from mycosis fungoides and other confounding chronic inflammatory skin diseases.

Giulia Salvatore, Ylenia Aura Minafò, Nicoletta Croce, Francesca Passarelli, Cristina Cristofoletti, Maria Cristina Picchio, Laura Bonmassar, Stefania Madonna, Laura Mercurio, Alessandro Monopoli and 5 more

Abstract readObservational Study
In one paragraph

Observational study in Frontiers in immunology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

15 authors.

Giulia SalvatoreLaboratory of Molecular Oncology, Istituto Dermopatico dell'Immacolata IDI-IRCCS, Rome, Italy.
Ylenia Aura MinafòLaboratory of Molecular Oncology, Istituto Dermopatico dell'Immacolata IDI-IRCCS, Rome, Italy.
Nicoletta CroceLaboratory of Molecular Oncology, Istituto Dermopatico dell'Immacolata IDI-IRCCS, Rome, Italy.
Francesca PassarelliPathology Unit, Istituto Dermopatico dell'Immacolata IDI-IRCCS, Rome, Italy.
Cristina CristofolettiLaboratory of Molecular Oncology, Istituto Dermopatico dell'Immacolata IDI-IRCCS, Rome, Italy.
Maria Cristina PicchioLaboratory of Molecular Oncology, Istituto Dermopatico dell'Immacolata IDI-IRCCS, Rome, Italy.
Laura BonmassarLaboratory of Molecular Oncology, Istituto Dermopatico dell'Immacolata IDI-IRCCS, Rome, Italy.
Stefania MadonnaLaboratory of Experimental Immunology, Istituto Dermopatico dell'Immacolata IDI-IRCCS, Rome, Italy.
Laura MercurioLaboratory of Experimental Immunology, Istituto Dermopatico dell'Immacolata IDI-IRCCS, Rome, Italy.
Alessandro MonopoliDepartment of Dermatology, Istituto Dermopatico dell'Immacolata IDI-IRCCS, Rome, Italy.
Filomena RussoDepartment of Dermatology, Istituto Dermopatico dell'Immacolata IDI-IRCCS, Rome, Italy.
Gaia MorettaDepartment of Dermatology, Istituto Dermopatico dell'Immacolata IDI-IRCCS, Rome, Italy.
Enrico ScalaClinical and Laboratory Molecular Allergy Unit, Istituto Dermopatico dell'Immacolata IDI-IRCCS, Rome, Italy.
Stefania D'AtriLaboratory of Molecular Oncology, Istituto Dermopatico dell'Immacolata IDI-IRCCS, Rome, Italy.
Maria Grazia NarducciLaboratory of Molecular Oncology, Istituto Dermopatico dell'Immacolata IDI-IRCCS, Rome, Italy.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Sézary syndrome (SS) is a rare and aggressive type of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL). Due to its rarity and marked biological heterogeneity, SS diagnosis is frequently delayed, as it requires the integration of multiple complex diagnostic tests interpreted by highly specialized biomedical figures. In this context, we investigated the expression of CXCL13-increasingly implicated in several inflammatory and neoplastic skin disorders-as a potential screening biomarker to discriminate SS from mycosis fungoides (MF), the most common CTCL subtype, and from clinically overlapping inflammatory skin diseases, i.e. atopic dermatitis (AD), psoriasis (PS) and eczema (EC). Real-time PCR analysis of CXCL13 mRNA expression in 51 samples showed a significant upregulation in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from SS patients compared with MF, AD and healthy donors (HD). Protein-level analysis in a larger cohort (n = 142), including allergic and atopic EC patients, revealed significantly higher plasma CXCL13 concentrations in SS than in all other conditions and HD, as assessed by ELISA. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis confirmed the excellent performance of plasma CXCL13 as a differential marker (AUC = 93%). In contrast, CXCL13 immunohistochemical expression in skin biopsies was broadly detected across all conditions, limiting its diagnostic value. In conclusion, quantification of CXCL13 expression in PBMCs and, more robustly, measurement of its plasma levels by widely available techniques such as RT-qPCR and ELISA may represent practical screening tools to identify patients with suspected SS. These assays could facilitate earlier referral to specialized centres for confirmatory testing and prompt initiation of appropriate therapy.

Indexed as

BiomarkersChemokine CXCL13Sezary SyndromeAdultAgedAged, 80 and overFemaleHumansImmunochemistryLeukocytes, MononuclearMaleMiddle AgedMycosis FungoidesSkin DiseasesBiomarkersChemokine CXCL13cutaneous T-cell lymphomaCXCL13differential diagnostic markerELISAIHCRT-qPCRSézary syndrome

Identifiers

PMID42039158
PMCPMC13106335

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.