Alterations in cytokine profiles after chemotherapy can affect the outcomes of cancer patients. This study evaluated the clinical implications of cytokine changes after transarterial chemo-embolization (TACE) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Cytometric bead immunoassays were used to simultaneously measure 13 cytokines (interleukin [IL]-12p70, interferon-γ, IL-17A, IL-2, IL-10, IL-9, IL-22, IL-6, IL-13, IL-4, IL-5, IL-1β, and tumor necrosis factor-α) in the sera of 83 patients with HCC and 33 healthy controls. Cytokines were serially monitored at baseline, on days 3 and 7, and 2 months after TACE in 63 evaluable patients.

Serum levels of IL-5, IL-6, and IL-17A were higher in patients with HCC than in healthy controls, whereas IL-1β and IL-22 levels were lower in patients with HCC. Of the cytokines measured, only the IL-6 level showed a significant positive correlation with both tumor size and Child-Pugh score. The Child-Pugh B/C group had higher IL-6 and lower IL-22 levels at baseline and exhibited relatively minor changes in cytokine levels compared with the Child-Pugh A group. We observed diverse changing patterns of individual cytokines on each date tested, with IL-6 and IL-22 increasing early after TACE. Particularly, IL-6 reached a peak on day 3 and finally decreasing on and after day 7. IL-4, IL-5, and IL-10, on the other hand, increased during the late phase, 2 months after TACE. Patients with larger tumors (>5 cm) showed a transient but significant early-phase increase in IL-6 levels coupled with severe post-TACE hepatitis, as well as late-phase increases in IL-4, IL-5, and IL-10 levels after TACE.

TACE induces changes in levels of multiple cytokines. Distinct panels of cytokine changes are not uniform, and are influenced by treatment-induced inflammation, underlying liver function, and HCC stage. Early-phase increases in IL-6 after TACE reflect acute-phase responses and are partly associated with post-treatment hepatitis, while late-phase increases in Th2 cytokine profiles suggest immune suppression in patients with large tumors.