Circulating levels and promoter polymorphisms of IL-6 and IL-8 in paediatric cancer patients with fever and neutropenia

Circulating levels of IL-6 and IL-8 were investigated as early markers for serious infections in febrile neutropenic children. Since circulating levels of IL-6 and IL-8 can be influenced by promoter polymorphisms, the study was designed to evaluate known promoter genotypes of IL-6 and IL-8 to improve the ability of the cytokines to distinguish between the different types of infection. Cytokine levels were assessed in 146 children on admission for 311 episodes of febrile neutropenia [FUO (n=209), localized infections (48), pneumonia (15), gram-negative (18) and gram-positive (21) bacteremia]. Although IL-6 levels…