Specific inflammatory cytokines can predict infection risk in patients with leukemia undergoing chemotherapy, according to a study in Microbial Pathogenesis.

“Leukemia, a prevalent hematologic malignancy, has seen remarkable therapeutic advancements, leading to increased complete remission rates and improved disease-free survival. Despite these strides, infections remain a significant challenge, often contributing to treatment failure and mortality among leukemia patients,” wrote Huimin Zhang and colleagues.

The prospective cohort study included 244 patients with acute myeloid leukemia. Researchers investigated the predictive value of both pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines in assessing infection risk.

The study included patients admitted to The First Hospital of Hebei Medical University with suspected infections between September 2022 and April 2023. Based on the results of etiological testing, the researchers divided the patients into two groups. The “uninfected” group included 50 patients without infections, and the “infected” group included 194 patients with infections, including 123 patients with bacterial infections, 22 patients with fungal infections, and 49 patients with viral infections.

Researchers measured the following inflammatory cytokines in patients with and without infections: interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, tumor necrosis factor-α, interferon-gamma (IFN)-γ, IL-17A, IL-127P0, and IFN-α. The study team also assessed high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, serum amyloid A, and procalcitonin in patients with infections.

According to the study, the infected and uninfected groups showed significantly different levels of IL-1β, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IFN-γ, IL-12p70, and IFN-α. Patients with infections had significantly higher levels of IL-1β, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, and IL-10 compared with patients without infections.

The study authors found significant differences in PCT, IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, and IL-10 levels among patients with bacterial, fungal, and viral infections. Nevertheless, researchers reported that no inflammatory factors were predictive of infection type.

“IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, and IL-10 were identified as independent predictors of infection risk, representing a significant advancement in understanding the inflammatory profiles in leukemia patients,” researchers wrote. “These cytokines could serve as valuable biomarkers for assessing infection risk, helping to guide clinical management and improve outcomes by identifying high-risk patients early.”