CNSC-42. PROGNOSTIC VALUE OF INTERLEUKIN-6 IN PATIENTS WITH GLIOBLASTOMA

Abstract Interleukin-6 (IL-6), a pro-inflammatory cytokine, has been implicated in the invasiveness and progression of glioma. However, the association between serum IL-6 levels at specific time points during treatment and patient prognosis remains unclear. This study was aimed to investigate the prognostic value of IL-6 measured at milestones in the treatment of patients with glioblastoma. Between January 2021 and December 2022, consecutive patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma were enrolled. Serum IL-6 concentrations were measured at different time points, including preoperative, pre- and post-radiation period, and two-month intervals thereafter. Patients with incomplete data were excluded, and increase of IL-6 values due to the overlapping with systemic infection were also excluded from the analysis. During the study period, 26 patients and 270 IL-6 levels at different time points were evaluated. The median follow-up time was 11 months. Tumor progression was evident in 19 patients (73.1%) and 13 patients (50%) were expired. Preoperative and pre-radiation IL-6 values were available in 20 and 23 patients with the median 5.25 and 4.5 pg/mL, respectively. With the cut-off value of pre-radiation IL-6 at 4.5 pg/mL, high IL-6 group showed significantly worse progression-free survival and overall survival than low IL-6 group (p = 0.027 and 0.008, respectively). However, IL-6 levels at other milestone were not related to the patient prognosis. Serum IL-6 elevation in pre-radiation period is an unfavorable prognostic factor in tumor progression and patient survival. Further research is necessary to validate the prognostic role of IL-6 and explore the underlying mechanisms.