Serum Levels of Interleukin-6 and Tumor Necrosis Factor-Alpha in Diagnosis and Prognosis of Gallbladder Cancer: A Pilot Study

Abstract Objectives  Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) are proinflammatory cytokines that play a major role in tumorigenesis. These biomarkers are relatively unexplored in gallbladder cancer (GBC) for their diagnostic and prognostic utility. Material and Methods  A total of 40 healthy controls and 40 GBC patients were recruited. Serum IL-6 and TNF-α levels were measured, and their diagnostic utility was analyzed using the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve. The relationship between clinicopathological variables and serum tumor markers (CEA, CA125, and CA19-9) in identifying GBC patients was also assessed. Results  Serum IL-6 and TNF-α expression were significantly higher in the GBC group (for both IL-6 and TNF-α, p  = 0.0001) than in healthy controls. ROC analysis revealed that the areas under the curve for serum IL-6 and TNF-α were 0.89 and 0.71, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity for serum IL-6 were 82.5 and 97.5%, respectively, at an optimal cutoff value of 10.34 pg/mL; for TNF-α, they were 40.0 and 100%, respectively, at a cutoff value of 0.24 pg/mL. There was also a significant difference in serum IL-6 levels between the resectable and nonresectable GBC groups. Serum IL-6 showed a positive correlation with CA125 ( r  = 0.34, p  < 0.05), while no correlation was observed between serum TNF-α and serum tumor markers (CEA, CA125, and CA19-9). Conclusion  Serum IL-6 may serve as a diagnostic marker and a predictor of resectability, and it can be used in conjunction with other serum tumor markers in GBC.