RESUMO
AIM: To study the relationship between the interleukin-6(IL-6) level in serum and broncheoalveolar lavage fluid(BALF) and non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC). METHODS: The concentration of IL-6 in serum or BALF of 62 NSCLC patients, 36 patients of pulmonary inflammatory diseases (PID) and 25 normal controls were measured by ELISA. RESULTS: (1)The concentration of IL-6 in BALF of NSCLC patients was significantly higher than that of PID patients and normal controls (P<0.01). The concentration of IL-6 in sera of NSCLC patients was higher than that of normal controls (P<0.01) but not statistically different from that of PID patients. (2)In patients with NSCLC, the concentration of IL-6 in BALF was slightly higher than that of serum IL-6, but this difference was not statistically significant (P>0.05). (3)Serum IL-6 level was higher in NSCLC of advanced stages (stage IIIa, IIIb and IV), as compared with that in NSCLC patients of early stages (stage Ia-IIb). BALF IL-6 level of NSCLC patients at different stages was not different. (4)IL-6 (level in serum but not in BALF) of PID patients correlated with the serum concentration of C reactive protein (r=0.74). CONCLUSION: IL-6 in BALF might be used as a marker for NSCLC. Serum IL-6 level might be an indicator for the stage of NSCLC. The serum IL-6 can also reflect the severity of acute lung inflammatory response.