Assessment of TNF α and IL-6 Levels in Indian Patients of CML and their Correlation with Early Molecular Response: An Observational Study.

Abstract

The study aimed to study the correlation of inflammatory cytokines TNF α and IL6 with early molecular response (EMR) in Indian CML patients on Imatinib. Methods-A tertiary hospital based cross sectional observational study included 47 patients with newly diagnosed CML over a period of 18 months. Plasma levels of TNFα and IL6 along with levels of BCR-ABL were done at baseline and at 3 month of therapy. Results- TNFα at baseline was the better predictor of EMR not achieved at cut off point of > 109 pg/ml and IL6 at 3 month was the better predictor of EMR not achieved at cut off point of > 45 pg/ml Conclusion- The combination of high TNF and IL-6 levels at baseline and at 3 months identifies a high risk subset of CML patients with significantly lower EMR. Mesurement of these cytokines at above time points may allow treatment intensity to be individualised based on the patient's risk profile.