Abstract Background Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) remains a challenging disease to manage due to its heterogeneous nature and the lack of clarity regarding prognostic markers. This study aimed to clarify cytokine behavior in different stages (Binet and Modified Rai staging) and phases of CLL, particularly focusing on T helper cell dynamics, and investigate their potential as prognostic biomarkers Methods Serum samples from 70 participants were analyzed for levels of cytokines Interleukin IL-2, IL-6, IL-10, and serum beta2 microglobulin (Sß2M) using Sandwich ELISA and Chemiluminescence immunoassay methods. p-value less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Ethical approval number: IEC No. AIIMS/IEC/21/700 dated 24/12/2021 Results In present study, 70 CLL patients were included. Median age recorded as 62 years. The proportion of the disease was 2.45 times higher in males. According to Modified Rai and Binet staging, the study participants were classified into low, moderate, or high risk as 17%, 37%, 46%, and 30%, 26%, and 44%, respectively. The mean levels of IL-2, IL-6, IL-10, and serum beta2 microglobulin were 14.09 pg/ml, 42.92 pg/ml, 43.02 pg/ml, and 6.63 ug/L, respectively. Median levels were 7.23 pg/ml for IL-2, 44.74 pg/ml for IL-6, 31.11 pg/ml for IL-10, and 7.29 ug/L for serum beta2 microglobulin. IL-2 positively correlated with hemoglobin and platelet count but negatively correlated with lymphocyte count and serum LDH levels. Conversely, IL-6, IL-10 and Sß2M were positively correlated with lymphocyte count and serum LDH levels but negatively correlated with hemoglobin and platelet count. Comparison across Modified Rai and Binet staging revealed decreasing IL-2 levels (range 35.68pg/ml to 3.55mg/ml, p value 0.00001) and increasing IL-6 (15.05pg/ml to 58.95pg/ml, p value 0.03), IL-10 (2.11pg/ml to 76.11pg/ml, p value 0.00001), and Sß2M values (2.96ug/ml to 8.17ug/ml, p value 0.00001) with disease progression from Low to Intermediate and High risks groups. IL-6 and IL-10 has been found significant positively correlated (p value 0.00001) while IL-2 negatively correlated (p value 0.00001) with Sß2M levels Conclusion Our study found that blood levels of IL-6, IL-10, and Sß2M rose with CLL progression, as did Interleukin-2 in the early stages of the disease and should be evaluated as a novel clinical prognostic marker for predicting early disease load and an aggressive treatment regimen.
Tamizhan et al. (Wed,) studied this question.