Diagnostic usefulness of serum interleukin 6 (IL‐6) and C‐reactive protein (CRP) in the differentiation between pancreatic cancer and chronic pancreatitis

Abstract

Previous studies have shown elevated serum levels of interleukin 6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP) in patients with pancreatic cancer (PC). The aim of this study was to assess the diagnostic usefulness of pretreatment serum levels of IL-6 and CRP to differentiate between PC and chronic pancreatitis (CP) patients. Serum levels of CRP, IL-6, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA 19-9) were determined in 78 patients with PC before surgery, in 45 patients with CP, and in 70 healthy controls. Serum levels of all the proteins tested were significantly higher in cancer patients when compared with CP and healthy subjects, and increased in more advanced tumor stages. Concentrations of IL-6 were significantly higher in nonresectable tumors and in patients who died during the 2-year observation period. Area under receiver operating characteristic curve for IL-6 was higher than for other substances tested in the differentiation between PC and CP. Cox's univariate analysis revealed serum IL-6 as a significant prognostic factor of patients' survival. Our findings suggest higher diagnostic usefulness of serum IL-6 than CRP, CEA, and CA 19-9 in the diagnosis and prognosis of patients with PC and in the differentiation with CP.

Analysis of global gene expression profiles suggests a role of acute inflammation in type 3C diabetes mellitus caused by pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

“…In the present study, we found that levels of the serum marker of acute inflammation (CRP) and an inflammatory mediator (TNFSF13) were significantly higher in patients with PDAC-DM than in those without diabetes and in pancreatitis patients. Though the serum levels of CRP and TNFSF13 in patients with PDAC-DM were not directly compared with those of healthy individuals in our study, the serum CRP and TNFSF13 levels in patients with chronic pancreatitis were shown to be slightly higher and the same as those of healthy individuals, respectively [18][19][20]. Our data demonstrated similar levels of CRP mRNA expression in tissues from patients with and without PDAC-DM, and in patients with chronic pancreatitis, excluding the possibility that PDAC lesions are the source of the elevated CRP in the serum of patients with PDAC-DM.…”

Levels of acute inflammatory biomarkers in advanced prostate cancer patients with α2-macroglobulin deficiency

“…It has been shown that serum IL-6 and CRP levels may be useful in the differentiation between diagnosis of pancreatic cancer and chronic pancreatitis (22). Kim et al reported that preoperative serum IL-6 and CRP levels may be markers of tumor invasion, lymph node metastasis and TNM stage (23).…”

Physiology and Pathology of Cytokine: Commercial Production and Medical Use

“…The inding that IL-6 induces neutrophil apoptosis contributes to the resolution of acute neutrophil iniltration. Increased IL-6 level is often a beter predictor of disease activity in the context of infection, autoimmunity or cancer than C-reactive protein [24,25]. Consistent with the early description of IL-6 as a lymphocyte-stimulating factor, IL-6 deiciency leads to impaired innate and adaptive immunity to viral, parasitic and bacterial infection.…”