[Interleukin-6 as a biochemical marker of intestinal anastomotic leakage]

To evaluate diagnostic significance of IL-6 compared to CRP for early detection of anastomotic leakage after colon resection for colorectal cancer.

The study included 277 patients who underwent total resection for colorectal cancer. Patients were retrospectively divided into three groups: without complications (n=227), with anastomotic leakage (n=30), and other postoperative complications (n=20). CRP and IL-6 were measured daily for 5 postoperative days. Dynamics of markers and their diagnostic significance were estimated using ROC analysis.

Serum IL-6 in patients with anastomotic leakage reached significant values after 2 postoperative days (AUC=0.872, cut-off=51.2 pg/ml, sensitivity 79.3%, specificity 89.1%) and maximum after 3 days (AUC=0.949, cut-off=66.4 pg/ml, sensitivity 80.0%, specificity 96.8%). CRP demonstrated diagnostically significant values after 3-4 days (AUC=0.875 after 3 days and 0.926 after 4 days). Dynamics of IL-6 after intervention for anastomotic leakage indicated advisability of this marker to assess the quality of abdominal debridement.

IL-6 is a perspective early marker of anastomotic leakage with high sensitivity and specificity after 2 days. This significantly reduces the diagnostic time compared to CRP. IL-6 can optimize postoperative management of patients contributing to early detection of complications and timely intervention.