Background: The purpose of this pilot study was to detect a correlation between serum cytokine levels and severity of mucositis, necessitating installation of a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tube (PEG) in head and neck (H&N) cancer patients receiving combined chemo-radiation therapy.
Patients and methods: Fifteen patients with H&N epithelial cancer were recruited to this study. All patients received radiotherapy to the H&N region, with doses ranging from 50-70 Gy. Chemotherapy with cisplatin, carboplatin, 5-fluorouracil and taxanes was given to high-risk patients, using standard chemotherapy protocols. Patients were evaluated for mucositis according to WHO common toxicity criteria, and blood samples were drawn for inflammatory (IL-1, IL-6, IL-8, TNF-alpha) and anti-inflammatory (IL-10) cytokine levels before and during treatment.
Results: A positive correlation was found between IL-6 serum levels and severity of mucositis and dysphagia; specifically, high IL-6 levels at week 2 were correlated with a need for PEG tube installation. A seemingly contradictory correlation was found between low IL-8 serum levels and a need for a PEG tube.
Conclusion: These preliminary results, indicating a correlation between IL-6 and IL-8 serum levels and severity of mucositis and a need for a PEG tube installation, justify a large scale study.