CYTOKINE PRODUCTION DURING INTRAPERITONEAL CHEMOHYPERTHERMIA

The aim of the present work is to investigate in vivo cytokine product ion during chemohyperthermia. 11 patients suffering from gastric adeno carcinoma (n = 6), ovarian adenocarcinoma (n = 4) or malignant mesothe lioma (n = 1) were studied. Patients received 60 mg mitomycin or 100 m g cisplatin per square meter during 2 h in 6 liters of a heating solut ion (temperature 42-degrees-C, flow rate 200 ml/min in a closed circui t) after previous surgical resection. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF -alpha) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were measured at 0, 30, 45, 60 and 90 min, both in the blood stream and in the heating solution circulating intraperitoneally. We observed a slight increase in plasma IL-6 occur ring as soon as 30 min, a dramatic rise in IL-6 in the heating solutio n. TNF-alpha values were only slightly augmented. In addition, the imp ortance of various factors in the induction of IL-6 and TNF-alpha prod uction during chemohyperthermia (temperature, mitomycin C, cisplatin) were studied using a whole blood ex vivo model.