Plasma levels of IL-1, TNF alpha, IL-6, IL-8, G-CSF, and IL1-RA during febrile neutropenia: results of a prospective study in patients undergoing chemotherapy for acute myelogenous leukemia.

Plasma levels of IL-1, IL-6, IL-8, IL1-RA, TNF alpha, and G-CSF were prospectively studied during 23 chemotherapy cycles of 20 patients suffering from acute myelogenous leukemia. Increased plasma levels of IL-6, IL-8, and G-CSF were observed in patients with febrile neutropenia and/or major infection. Plasma levels of IL-6, IL-1, TNF alpha and IL-1-RA measured 1 day before and 1 day after the onset of febrile episodes did not accurately predict the development of major infection. In contrast, IL-8 plasma levels were significantly higher in those patients who subsequently developed major infection. The question whether IL-8 plasma levels identify high risk or low risk patients with sufficient specificity and sensitivity has to be answered in large scale clinical trials.