Abstract
The aim of the study was to investigate the levels of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cytokines
during chemotherapy of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). Examination of 12 ALL
child (6 boys and 6 girls) patients evidenced significant increases in interleukin-6
(IL-6) and monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) after induction treatment and significant
increases in IL-6, tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and MCP-1 levels during the consolidation
phase, as compared to their values at the time of diagnosis. There were no significant
differences in CSF IL-6, TNF-α and MCP-1 concentrations after therapy. Our data suggest
that standard ALL treatment may cause a subclinical inflammation and neurotoxicity.
Key words
acute lymphoblastic leukaemia - chemotherapy - IL-6 - MCP-1 - neurotoxicity - TNF-α