Interleukin 6 Examination as a Marker of Pre-Surgical Epithelial Type of Ovarian Malignancy: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background & Objective: Ovarian cancer affects women worldwide. Immunoregulatory cytokines, particularly interleukin (IL)-6, can enhance tumorigenicity and are persistently secreted by ovarian cancer cells. This study aims to examine IL-6 as a marker of preoperative epithelial ovarian malignancy. Materials & Methods: This study used a cross-sectional design on 81 eligible patients with ovarian neoplasms who were undergoing surgery at the Dr. Wahidin Sudirohusodo Hospital and its networking hospital from October 2021 to June 2022. The ELISA technique was used to measure serum IL-6 from the peripheral vein. In addition, the CA-125 levels, risk of malignancy (RMI) index, and proportion of blood cells were analyzed. Chi-square analysis of the data had been used. Results: Most of the subjects were presented as malignant ovarian neoplasms (66.7%), followed by benign ovarian neoplasms (33.3%). IL-6 level ≥ 3.75 pg/mL was found in 72.8% of patients. In individuals with epithelial ovarian neoplasms, IL-6 levels did not significantly differ between malignant and benign types (p > 0.05). CA-125 levels, RMI, ascites, and tumor size differed significantly in patients with ovarian epithelial neoplasms between malignant and benign types (p <0.05). Leukocyte levels, hemoglobin levels, platelet levels, age, parity, and age of menarche were not significantly different in epithelial ovarian neoplasm patients between malignant and benign types (p > 0.05). Conclusion: The preoperative serum IL-6 level cannot be used as a marker of ovarian malignancy. However, this study confirms the relationship between the CA-125 level, RMI, ascites, and tumor size with the malignancy of ovarian tumors.