Cirrhosis And Liver Cancer In Patients With Leukocyte Mediated (il) -6 Levels And Its Clinical Significance

OBJECTIVE: To study the changes and clinical significance of serum IL-6 in patients with hepatitic B virus cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. METHODS: Serum IL-6 level was determined by the double antibody sandwich ELISA method in chronic active hepatitis (16 cases), hepatitic cirrhosis (28 cases), hepatocellular carcinoma (20 cases), and normal control (22 cases). The relationships between the IL-6 level and the total billirubin or PTA were investigated. RESULTS: The level of IL-6 in each group of hepatosis patients was significantly higher than that in the control group (p<0.01), and highest in the hepatocellular carcinoma group. There was an evidently positive correlation between the level of IL-6 and total billirubin, however a negative correlation between the level of IL-6 and PTA (p< 0.01). CONCLUSION: IL-6 plays an important role in the pathogenesis of hepatitic cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. IL-6 level can reflect the hepatocellular necrosis degree and can be used as a laboratory marker to determine the liver function.