Does postoperative serum interleukin-6 influence early recurrence after curative pulmonary resection of lung cancer?

Purpose: We examined the influence of inflammatory cytokine levels on postoperative early recurrence in patients who underwent curative lung cancer surgery.

Methods: In 107 patients who underwent curative pulmonary resections for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) from November 2007 to June 2008, we measured serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels preoperatively, and on postoperative day (POD) 0, 1, and 2. Between July 2009 and August 2009, 1 year after the date of enrollment of the last patient, we investigated survival status of each patient and identified a group with recurrence.

Results: Among 107 patients, 29 patients developed recurrence with a mean follow-up of 18.1 months (range 14 to 21). P-stage was significantly more advanced in the recurrence group than in the non-recurrence group (p = 0.005). Serum IL-6 levels on POD 1 were significantly higher in the recurrence group than in the non-recurrence group (p = 0.007). In Cox's proportional hazards regression, P-stage and serum IL-6 levels on POD 1 were significant independent predicting factors for postoperative early recurrence (p = 0.006, p = 0.003).

Conclusions: The higher the serum IL-6 levels on POD 1, the higher the risk of early postoperative recurrence, even when curative pulmonary resection can be accomplished in lung cancer patients.