From www.bloodjournal.org by guest on February 6, 2015. For personal use only. 4016 CORRESPONDENCE Serum Interleukin-8 (IL-8) and IL-6 Concentrations in Patients With Hematologic Malignancies To the Editor: Interleukin-6 (IL-6) may play a relevant role in the pathogenesis of several hematologic malignancies.’,* Interleukin-8 (IL-8) is produced by a wide variety of cells at inflammatory sites and acts on neutrophils stimulating degranulation and chemotaxis.’ Elevated levels of IL-8 are found in the serum of patients with colorectal cancer! Serum IL-6 and E - 8 levels are correlated in patients with colorectal cancer4 and multiple organ failure.’ Like IL-6, IL-8 could be valuable as a marker of the exacerbation of cytokine production during hematologic malignancies. To test this hypothesis serum samples were obtained from 63 leukemic patients before therapy according to the Helsinki recommendations. Forty three patients had a lymphoid malignancy including 12 Hodgkm’s lymphoma (HL) (mean age 43 years, sex ratio madwoman 2). 25 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) (mean age 62 years, sex ratio lS),and 6 chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) (mean age 70 years, sex ratio madwoman 1). Twenty patients had a nonlymphoid malignancy including 12 acute myeloid leukemia (AML) (mean age 60, sex ratio 3) and 8 refractory anemia with excess of blasts (RAEB) (mean age 74, sex ratio 7). Twenty seven healthy individuals (mean age 55 years, sex ratio 0.8) served as controls. E-8 and IL-6 levels were measured with enzyme linked immunosorbent assay kits (TEBU, Le Perray en Yvelines, France). The sensitivity of the assay enables detection of serum cytokine From www.bloodjournal.org by guest on February 6, 2015. For personal use only. 4017 CORRESPONDENCE levels as low as 3 pglmL. Results are expressed as mean ? SEM. Comparison between groups was made using Mann-Whitney Utest. Correlations between cytokine levels were calculated by linear regression analysis. Serum IL-8 concentrations were significantly higher (P < .01) in patients with NHL (63.2 ? 16.2 pg/mL), RAEB (38.7 ? 7.5 pg/ mL), and AML (57.4 2 12.2 pg/ml) but not with HL (28.1 2 7.23 pg/ml) and CLL (20.4 ? 14.0 pglmL) as compared with controls (16.2 ? 1.4 pg/mL). Serum IL-6 concentrations were significantly higher (P < ,001) in patients with NHL (28.3 ? 6.2 pg/mL), HL (26.0 2 3.5 pglmL), and AML (44.1 2 14.3) but not with CLL (8.3 2 1.6 pglmL) and RAEB (12.1 2 2.3 pg/mL) as compared with controls (8.8 t 1.8 pglmL). IL-6 and IL-8 levels are correlated in patients with NHL ( r = 0.54, P = ,005) but not in patients with HL ( r = 0.32, P = .31), CLL ( r = .46, P = .36), RAEB ( r = .22, P = .06), and AML ( r = . I , P = .76). We found that IL-8 is a marker of the exacerbation of cytokine production in patients with NHL, RAEB, and AML. The IL-8 levels detected in these patients are similar to those found in patients with multiple organ failure of nonseptic origin.5 The absence of correlation between IL-8 and IL-6 levels, exept in NHL, suggests that the mechanisms of production andor the cell sources leading to IL-8 and IL-6 production differ between the different types of hematologic malignancies. The clinical usefulness of these increases of IL-8 serum concentrations requires further evaluation. However, we can speculate that IL-8 might participate to the pathology via its chemotactic activity on neutrophils, its capacity to increase vascular permeability through enzyme released by the exocytosis of neutrophil granule contents, and its ability to trigger the secretion of proinflammatory compounds such as superoxide anions. ACKNOWLEDGMENT We are grateful to the Association pour la Recherche sur le Cancer (Grant No. 6412) for funding our project. P.F. is the recipient of a grant from the “Ligue Nationale Contre le Cancer” (Comiti de la Haute Vienne). Y. Denizot P. Fixe E. Liozon V. Praloran Laboratoire d ’He‘matologie Expe‘rimentale Faculte‘ de Me‘decine Limoges, France REFERENCES 1. Kurzrock R, Redman J, Cabanillas F, Jones D, Rothberg J, Talpaz M: Serum interleukin 6 levels are elevated in lymphoma patients and correlate with survival in advanced Hodgkin’s disease and with B symptoms. Cancer Res 53:2118, 1993 2. Du Villard L, Guiguet M, Casasnovas RO, Caillot D, MonnierZeller V, Bemard A, Guy H, Solary E: Diagnostic value of serum IL-6 level in monoclonal gammopathies. Br J Haematol 89:243, 1995 3. Matsushima K, Oppenheim JJ: Interleukin 8 and MCAF: novel inflammatory cytokines inducible by IL1 and TNF. Cytokines 1:2, 1989 4. Ueda T, Shimada E, Urakawa T: Serum levels of cytokines in patients with colorectal cancer: Possible involvement of interleukin6 and interleukin-8 in hematogenous metastasis. J Gastroenterol 29:423, 1994 5 . Marty C, Misset B, Tamion F, Fitting C, Carlet J, Cavaillon JM: Circulating interleukin-8 concentrations in patients with multiple organ failure of septic and nonseptic origin. Crit Care Med 22673, 1994 From www.bloodjournal.org by guest on February 6, 2015. For personal use only. 1996 87: 4016-4017 Serum interleukin-8 (IL-8) and IL-6 concentrations in patients with hematologic malignancies [letter] Y Denizot, P Fixe, E Liozon and V Praloran Updated information and services can be found at: http://www.bloodjournal.org/content/87/9/4016.citation.full.html Articles on similar topics can be found in the following Blood collections Information about reproducing this article in parts or in its entirety may be found online at: http://www.bloodjournal.org/site/misc/rights.xhtml#repub_requests Information about ordering reprints may be found online at: http://www.bloodjournal.org/site/misc/rights.xhtml#reprints Information about subscriptions and ASH membership may be found online at: http://www.bloodjournal.org/site/subscriptions/index.xhtml Blood (print ISSN 0006-4971, online ISSN 1528-0020), is published weekly by the American Society of Hematology, 2021 L St, NW, Suite 900, Washington DC 20036. 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