Evaluation of proinflammatory cytokines and biochemical parameters in patients with advanced‑stage lung cancer: A comparative analysis of different therapeutic approaches

Immunological and biochemical markers play a key role in assessing the therapeutic response of patients with lung cancer and recognizing the adverse effects of cancer therapy on these markers. The present study aimed to elucidate variations within certain proinflammatory cytokines and biochemical levels across several therapeutic approaches at both pre‑ and post‑treatment, providing useful insight that may facilitate the development of more effective and tailored therapy strategies. The present study recruited 120 patients with advanced‑stage lung cancer, who were divided into three groups based on the treatment they received (immunotherapy, chemotherapy or combination therapy). Differences in the levels of certain proinflammatory cytokines (IL‑18 and IFN‑γ) and biochemical parameters [alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase, total serum bilirubin (TSB), creatinine, urea, random blood sugar (RBS)] were evaluated between the pre‑and post‑treatment time points. The results demonstrated that, when comparing between pre‑ and post‑treatment changes, there were a significant elevation in the levels of proinflammatory cytokines in the immunotherapy group (IL‑18, P=0.0090; and IFN‑γ, P<0.0001), with parallel increases observed in the combination group (IL‑18, P=0.0251; and IFN‑γ, P=0.0012). However, in the chemotherapy group, the increase was not significant. By contrast, the level of ALT was significantly decreased in the chemotherapy group (P=0.0133), whilst the TSB level was significantly increased in the combination group post‑treatment, compared with the other groups (P=0.0035). Furthermore, there were significant increases in the levels of creatinine, urea and RBS post‑treatment in the immunotherapy group compared with the other groups (P=0.0019, P=0.0115 and P=0.0088, respectively). On the whole, in the complex field of several therapies designed to eliminate cancer and alleviate its consequences in patients with lung cancer, there is a necessity for a predictive marker to differentiate the varying implications of these treatments on the immunological profile and biochemical parameter levels of patients. The present study highlights the need of evaluating these parameter levels due to their vital involvement in anti‑tumoral effects and potential side‑effects.