Serum Levels of Interleukin-6 and Interleukin-10 as Biomarkers for Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Egyptian Patients

Interleukin-10 (IL-10) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) have been reported to be related to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) prognosis. This study aimed to investigate the clinical usefulness of serum levels of IL-6 and IL-10 as biomarkers for HCC among high-risk patients. Materials and Methods. 80 individuals were enrolled in this study; they were categorized into 4 groups: group 1 healthy individuals (NC) (n = 20), group 2 chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) patients (n = 20), group 3 cirrhotic patients (LC) (n = 20), and HCC group (n = 20). Using ELISA technique serum levels of IL-6, IL-10, and alpha fetoprotein (AFP) were evaluated in all groups. Results. The mean serum levels of IL-6 were significantly higher in HCC than in LC, HCV, and NC groups (13.99 ± 1.80, 7.49 ± 0.43, 5.78 ± 0.74, and 2.57 ± 0.31), respectively (P < 0.05); also the serum levels of IL-10 were significantly higher in HCC compared with LC, HCV, and NC groups (13.69 ± 1.89, 7.37 ± 0.53, 5.18 ± 0.6, and 3.31 ± 0.42) (P < 0.05). We also found that the tumor size is correlated strongly with IL-6 and IL-10 levels (r = 0.925, P < 0.001; r = 0.821, P < 0.001), respectively. Conclusion. The combination of those markers may help to identify a group of HCC patients with low AFP.