Abstract
BACKGROUND: Accurate diagnosis and therapeutic response to secondary central nervous system lymphoma (SCNSL) are challenges that need to be addressed. We assessed the value of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cytokine levels for diagnosis and post-therapeutic prognosis in patients with SCNSL. METHODS: This retrospective study included 234 patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), including the SCNSL group (n = 57) and the non-SCNSL group (n = 177). The Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare the cytokine profiles between SCNSL and non-SCNSL group. Receiver operating characteristic curve was used to determine the diagnostic ability of CSF cytokine levels for SCNSL. The predictive value of CSF cytokine concentrations for progression free survival of patients with SCNSL was evaluated using a log-rank test. RESULTS: CSF IL-6 and IL-10 levels in SCNSL group were significantly elevated compared with those in the other two groups. ROC curve showed that the cutoff values of IL-6 and IL-10 in CSF were 10.13 pg/ml and 7.82pg/ml, which yielded the diagnostic sensitivity were 62.34% and 76.23%, specificity were 87.57% and 88.31%, respectively. Furthermore, combining CSF IL-6 and IL-10 levels significantly improved the diagnostic efficacy. CSF IL-6 and IL-10 levels in SCNSL patients in complete remission under chemotherapy were significantly reduced. In addition, poor progression free survival (PFS) in patients with SCNSL was related to increased CSF IL-10 levels at diagnosis, but not with increased CSF IL-6 levels. CONCLUSION: CSF IL-6 and IL-10 levels are promising biomarkers for diagnosis and predictors of response for SCNSL.