title: Pretreatment interleukin-6 serum levels are associated with patient survival for oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study aims to determine the role of serum interleukin-6 concentration for oral cavity squamous cell carcinomas.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cohort study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Tertiary referral center.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two hundred thirty-seven untreated patients, 125 healthy individuals, and 104 individuals with oral premalignant lesions were enrolled. Interleukin-6 serum concentrations were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Serum concentrations of interleukin-6 were significantly higher in patients compared with the levels in healthy individuals and the subjects with oral premalignant lesions. Serum interleukin-6 levels were significantly higher in patients with higher pT status (from pT1 to pT4, median values in pg/mL = 0, 0, 1.3, and 5.0, respectively, with P < .001), higher pathological stages (from stage I to IV, median values = 0, 0, 1.3, and 3.6, respectively, with P < .001), positive bone invasion (5.0 vs 0, 1.4 vs 0; P < .001), and higher tumor depths (1.4 vs 0; P = .005). Patients with higher pretreatment levels of interleukin-6 (>1.35 pg/mL, median level) had worse prognoses for 5-year overall survival and disease-specific survival despite treatment (75.7% vs 54.9% and 79.1% vs 59.8%; P = .001 and .003, respectively). Multivariate logistic regression analyses also indicated that higher interleukin-6 serum levels were an independent prognostic factor for overall survival and disease-free survival (adjusted hazard ratio = 2.417 and 2.364; P = .009 and .017, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study revealed that serum interleukin-6 levels were associated with increased tumor burden and aggressiveness of oral cavity squamous cell carcinomas and may be useful as a prognostic indicator after treatment.
authors: Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Tao-Yuan, Taiwan.
authors: Kai-Ping
authors: KP
authors: Chang
authors: Huang-Kai
authors: HK
authors: Kao
authors: Chih-Ching
authors: CC
authors: Wu
authors: Ku-Hao
authors: KH
authors: Fang
authors: Yu-Liang
authors: YL
authors: Chang
authors: Yu-Chen
authors: YC
authors: Huang
authors: Shiau-Chin
authors: SC
authors: Liu
authors: Ming-Huei
authors: MH
authors: Cheng
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000097:blood / Q000401:mortality*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D006801:Humans; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood*; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000401:mortality*; D011230:Precancerous Conditions; D011379:Prognosis; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D047368:Tumor Burden
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D015850:Interleukin-6