Aim of the work: To evaluate the role of interleukin -6 (IL-6) in diagnosis of
malignant pleural mesothelioma by detecting its level in the pleural fluid and serum
of the patient with malignant pleural mesothelioma in comparison with other
causes of pleural effusion . Material and methods: This study was conducted on 44
patients (25 males and 19 females) with pleural effusions of different etiologies, at
Banha University Hospital from April 2011 to December 2012).These patients were
classified according to their final diagnosis into four groups: Group I: included 20
cases with malignant pleural effusions secondary to malignant pleural
mesothelioma. Group II: included 7 cases with malignant pleural effusions secondary
to metastatic adenocarcinoma. Group III: included 7 cases with tuberculous pleural
effusions. Group IV: included 10 cases with transudative pleural effusions. IL6
measured in both plasma and pleural fluid of selected patients and statistically
analyzed. Results: The mean values of pleural fluid IL-6 were higher among patients
with malignant effusion (group (I,II). respectively) than those with non malignant
(group (III, IV) , these differences were statistically significant (P