Blood transfusion and postoperative serum interleukin-6 levels in colorectal cancer patients.
OBJECTIVE
Postoperative cytokine response affects various factors. However, excessive stress responses are deleterious as increased serum concentration of cytokines may induce tissue injury and an impaired immune system.


METHODS
We determined serum IL-6 levels in 35 patients who had undergone resection of colorectal carcinoma. Eleven patients had a blood transfusion before or during the operation (transfused group) but 24 patients had received no blood transfusion (control group). Serum IL-6 levels were determined before the operation, and at the end of operation,POD-1, 3, and 7.


RESULTS
There was no significant difference of preoperative mean levels of IL-6 between these two groups (p=0.20). Postoperative serum IL-6 levels were significantly elevated. Mean serum levels of IL-6 were significantly higher at the end of operation in the transfused group than in the control group (131.7 pg/ml in control group and 269.8 pg/ml in transfused group; p=0.02).


CONCLUSIONS
The present study suggested that perioperative allogeneic blood transfusion can induce an excessive cytokine response and may be deleterious.
Ishijima
N
N
Department of Surgery, Mie University Hospital, Tsu-City, Japan.
Suzuki
H
H
D001803:Blood Transfusion; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000601:surgery; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D006801:Humans; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood*; D007432:Intraoperative Period; D011184:Postoperative Period; D065227:Transfusion Reaction
D015850:Interleukin-6