Estudio prospectivo de los niveles de citocinas séricas en pacientes con melanoma: valor pronóstico / Prospective study of the levels of serum cytokines in patients with melanoma: prognostic value

Introducción. La producción de citocinas tiene un papel primordial en la lucha antitumoral por parte del sistema inmunitario. Por ello, en este trabajo nos propusimos investigar si las concentraciones séricas de distintos tipos de citocinas en pacientes con melanoma se asociaban con la evolución de su enfermedad. Material y métodos. Se analiza la variación en los niveles séricos de citocinas representativas de los fenotipos Th1 (interferón gamma [IFN-gama] e interleucina 15 [IL-15]) y Th2 (IL-6 e IL-10) en 33 pacientes con melanoma cutáneo primario. Se obtuvieron semestralmente muestras de sangre periférica hasta conseguir un total de cuatro muestras por paciente. Resultados. A los 30 meses, 29 pacientes (87,9 %) sobrevivieron sin signos de recidiva. La IL-10 basal era más alta en el grupo de enfermos que fallecieron que en los supervivientes. En los pacientes que fallecieron se observó un aumento de la IL-6 sérica en la última muestra. No se pudo demostrar ninguna relación entre los niveles de IFN-gama e IL-15 y la progresión del melanoma. Conclusión. La determinación de citocinas de tipo Th2 (IL-6 e IL-10) en suero de pacientes con melanoma podría ser útil en el seguimiento clínico de estos enfermos y servir como factor predictivo de la mejor o peor evolución de la enfermedad, en el sentido de un peor pronóstico para los enfermos con niveles elevados de IL-10 e IL-6. Por el contrario, la determinación de los niveles séricos de las citocinas de tipo Th1 (IL-15 e IFN-gama) no parece de tanta utilidad a la hora de orientar sobre el pronóstico

Introduction. The production of cytokines plays a primordial role in the immune system’s fight against tumors. Therefore, we proposed to investigate whether the serum levels of different types of cytokines in melanoma patients were associated with the evolution of their disease. Material and methods. We analyzed the variation in the serum levels of cytokines representative of the Th1 (INF-gamma and IL-15) and Th2 (IL-6 and IL-10) phenotypes in 33 patients with primary cutaneous melanoma. Peripheral blood samples were obtained every six months until we had a total of 4 samples per patient. Results. After 30 months, 29 patients (87.9 %) had survived with no signs of recurrence. Basal IL-10 serum levels were higher in the group of patients who expired than in the survivors. Among the patients who expired, an increase in IL-6 serum levels was observed in the last sample. No relationship could be proven between INF-gamma and IL-15 levels and melanoma progression. Conclusion. Determining the levels of type Th2 cytokines (IL-6 and IL-10) in the serum of melanoma patients could be useful in the clinical follow-up of these patients and serve as a predictive factor for the progression of the disease, with the prognosis being worse for patients with high IL-10 and IL-6 levels. On the other hand, determining the serum levels of type Th1 cytokines (IL-15 and INF-gamma) does not seem to be as useful in predicting the prognosis

[Prospective study of the levels of serum cytokines in patients with melanoma: prognostic value]. / Estudio prospectivo de los niveles de citocinas séricas en pacientes con melanoma: valor pronóstico.

INTRODUCTION: The production of cytokines plays a primordial role in the immune systems fight against tumors. Therefore, we proposed to investigate whether the serum levels of different types of cytokines in melanoma patients were associated with the evolution of their disease. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We analyzed the variation in the serum levels of cytokines representative of the Th1 (INFg and IL-15) and Th2 (IL-6 and IL-10) phenotypes in 33 patients with primary cutaneous melanoma. Peripheral blood samples were obtained every six months until we had a total of 4 samples per patient. RESULTS: After 30 months, 29 patients (87.9 %) had survived with no signs of recurrence. Basal IL-10 serum levels were higher in the group of patients who expired than in the survivors. Among the patients who expired, an increase in IL-6 serum levels was observed in the last sample. No relationship could be proven between INFg and IL-15 levels and melanoma progression. CONCLUSION: Determining the levels of type Th2 cytokines (IL-6 and IL-10) in the serum of melanoma patients could be useful in the clinical follow-up of these patients and serve as a predictive factor for the progression of the disease, with the prognosis being worse for patients with high IL-10 and IL-6 levels. On the other hand, determining the serum levels of type Th1 cytokines (IL-15 and INFg) does not seem to be as useful in predicting the prognosis.