BACKGROUND Identifying specific risk factors associated with multiple myeloma (MM) remains a significant issue. Different cytokines take part in the pathogenesis, progression, and prognosis of MM. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the correlations between serum cytokine levels and clinical characteristics and determine their effects on disease progression and survival of MM patients. METHODS We retrospectively analyzed the serum levels of 7 cytokines in 105 patients with newly diagnosed MM and in 20 healthy subjects. Interleukin (IL)-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, and IL-17A, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and interferon (IFN)-γ were quantitatively determined by cytometric bead assay techniques. The concentrations of each cytokine were compared between the MM patients and healthy subjects using the Mann-Whitney U test. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to analyze progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). RESULTS Serum IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, IL-17A, TNF-α, and IFN-γ levels were higher in patients with newly diagnosed MM than in healthy controls. Positively significant correlations were found between IL-6, IL-10, IL-17A, and β2-microglobulin. Significant correlations were also observed between IL-6 and IL-10, and lactate dehydrogenase. The overall response rate of low-IL-6 and IL-17A patients was significantly higher than that of high-IL-10 and IL-17A patients (P < 0.01). Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that serum IL-6 levels were >3 pg/mL, serum IL-17A levels were >4 pg/mL, and treatment regimens were independent prognostic factors for PFS and OS. CONCLUSIONS Cytokine deregulation, especially that of IL-6 and IL-17A, may be a powerful predictor of clinical prognosis for MM patients.

中文翻译：

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新诊断多发性骨髓瘤患者的细胞因子谱：生存率与 IL-6 和 IL-17A 水平相关

背景识别与多发性骨髓瘤（MM）相关的特定风险因素仍然是一个重要问题。不同的细胞因子参与了 MM 的发病机制、进展和预后。因此，本研究旨在探讨血清细胞因子水平与临床特征之间的相关性，并确定其对 MM 患者疾病进展和生存的影响。方法回顾性分析105例新诊断MM患者和20例健康受试者的血清7种细胞因子水平。白细胞介素 (IL)-2、IL-4、IL-6、IL-10 和 IL-17A、肿瘤坏死因子 (TNF)-α 和干扰素 (IFN)-γ 通过细胞计数珠测定技术进行定量测定。使用 Mann-Whitney U 检验比较了 MM 患者和健康受试者之间每种细胞因子的浓度。Kaplan-Meier方法用于分析无进展生存期（PFS）和总生存期（OS）。结果 新诊断 MM 患者的血清 IL-2、IL-4、IL-6、IL-10、IL-17A、TNF-α 和 IFN-γ 水平高于健康对照组。IL-6、IL-10、IL-17A和β2-微球蛋白之间存在显着正相关。在 IL-6 和 IL-10 以及乳酸脱氢酶之间也观察到了显着的相关性。低IL-6和IL-17A患者的总体缓解率显着高于高IL-10和IL-17A患者（P < 0.01）。单因素和多因素分析显示，血清IL-6水平>3 pg/mL，血清IL-17A水平>4 pg/mL，治疗方案是PFS和OS的独立预后因素。结论 细胞因子失调，尤其是 IL-6 和 IL-17A，