Department of Oncology, Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel.
Radiat Oncol. 2010 Feb 25;5:16. doi: 10.1186/1748-717X-5-16.
The purpose of this pilot study was to detect a correlation between serum cytokine levels and severity of mucositis, necessitating installation of a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tube (PEG) in head and neck (H&N) cancer patients receiving combined chemo-radiation therapy.
Fifteen patients with H&N epithelial cancer were recruited to this study. All patients received radiotherapy to the H&N region, with doses ranging from 50-70 Gy. Chemotherapy with cisplatin, carboplatin, 5-fluorouracil and taxanes was given to high-risk patients, using standard chemotherapy protocols. Patients were evaluated for mucositis according to WHO common toxicity criteria, and blood samples were drawn for inflammatory (IL-1, IL-6, IL-8, TNF-alpha) and anti-inflammatory (IL-10) cytokine levels before and during treatment.
A positive correlation was found between IL-6 serum levels and severity of mucositis and dysphagia; specifically, high IL-6 levels at week 2 were correlated with a need for PEG tube installation. A seemingly contradictory correlation was found between low IL-8 serum levels and a need for a PEG tube.
These preliminary results, indicating a correlation between IL-6 and IL-8 serum levels and severity of mucositis and a need for a PEG tube installation, justify a large scale study.
本初步研究旨在检测头颈癌（H&N）患者接受放化疗联合治疗时血清细胞因子水平与黏膜炎严重程度和需行经皮内镜下胃造口术（PEG）之间的相关性。
本研究共纳入 15 例 H&N 上皮癌患者。所有患者均接受 H&N 区域放疗，剂量为 50-70Gy。高危患者接受顺铂、卡铂、氟尿嘧啶和紫杉烷类药物的化疗，采用标准化疗方案。根据世界卫生组织（WHO）通用毒性标准对患者进行黏膜炎评估，并在治疗前后采集血液样本检测炎症（IL-1、IL-6、IL-8、TNF-α）和抗炎（IL-10）细胞因子水平。
IL-6 血清水平与黏膜炎和吞咽困难的严重程度呈正相关；具体而言，第 2 周时高 IL-6 水平与需要行 PEG 管安装相关。IL-8 血清水平与需要行 PEG 管之间存在似乎矛盾的相关性。
这些初步结果表明，IL-6 和 IL-8 血清水平与黏膜炎严重程度和需要行 PEG 管安装之间存在相关性，支持开展更大规模的研究。
