RESUMEN
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the plasma levels of interleukin6 (IL-6 ) and interleukin10 (IL-10) in patients with lymphoma and their association with the clinical characteristics and prognosis.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The plasma levels of IL-6 and IL-10 were measured in 132 lymphoma patients and 132 healthy controls using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The levels of plasma IL-6 and IL-10 in lymphoma patients were significantly higher than those in healthy controls (P<0.05). The plasm a levels of IL-6 were significant higher in T non-Hodgkins lymphoma (T-NHL) patients than in B non-Hodgkins lymphoma (B-NHL) patients (P<0.05), and were similar between other groups of different subtypes of lymphoma (P>0.05). Patients of Kazak nationality had a significantly higher plasma IL-6 level than those of Han and Uygur nationalities (P<0.05). The presence of B symptoms, a high risk defined by the International Prognostic Index (IPI), high levels of plasma β(2)-MG, and elevated LDH and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were all associated with a significantly increased plasma IL-6 level (P<0.05), and patients with Ann Arbor stage III-IV disease, B symptoms, and high plasma β(2)-MG and CRP levels had significantly higher IL-10 levels (P<0.05). The plasma IL-6 and IL-10 levels were significantly lower in patients with complete remission than in those with partial remission and progressive disease and than in those without treatment (P<0.05). Plasma IL-10 was positively correlated to IL-6 and β(2)-MG levels (P<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Lymphoma patients have significantly increased plasma IL-6 and IL-10 levels with correlation to the tumor load. Plasma levels of IL-6 and IL-10 may serve as useful indicators for predicting the response to therapy and prognosis of lymphoma.</p>