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Copyright ©The Author(s) 2026. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Hepatol. Jan 27, 2026; 18(1): 113429
Published online Jan 27, 2026. doi: 10.4254/wjh.v18.i1.113429
Interleukin-6/interleukin-10 ratio and immune dysregulation after radiofrequency ablation
Lei Pang, Di Tang, Wan-Lin Zhou, Xin Bai, Hui-Jia Zhao, Li-Qiang Wang, Wen Cheng, Bo-Lin Wu
Lei Pang, Di Tang, Wan-Lin Zhou, Xin Bai, Hui-Jia Zhao, Wen Cheng, Bo-Lin Wu, Department of Ultrasound, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin 150000, Heilongjiang Province, China
Li-Qiang Wang, College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150000, Heilongjiang Province, China
Co-corresponding authors: Wen Cheng and Bo-Lin Wu.
Author contributions: Pang L and Wu BL conceptualized and designed the study, performed analysis, interpreted data, and drafted the original version of the manuscript; Tang D performed a literature search, supervised the writing and critically revised the manuscript; Zhou WL, Bai X and Zhao HJ supervised the literature search, the writing, provided intellectual input and critically revised the manuscript; Wang LQ contributed to the data analyses and generated the figures; Cheng W and Wu BL have made crucial and equal contributions towards the completion of the research and thus qualified as co-corresponding authors; all authors prepared the draft and approved the final version.
Institutional review board statement: This study was reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee of Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital.
Clinical trial registration statement: This prospective cohort study was not registered in a clinical trials registry as it is non-interventional. Such registration is typically required for interventional studies like randomized controlled trials.
Informed consent statement: All participants provided informed consent.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors declare no conflict of interest in publishing the manuscript.
CONSORT 2010 statement: The authors have read the CONSORT 2010 Statement, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CONSORT 2010 Statement.
Data sharing statement: The de-identified individual data generated in this study are available from the corresponding author, upon reasonable request. The data are not publicly available due to privacy and ethical restrictions imposed by the Ethics Committee of Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital. Requestors will be required to submit a proposal outlining the intended use of the data and sign a data access agreement.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Bo-Lin Wu, MD, PhD, Professor, Department of Ultrasound, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, No. 150 Haping Road, Nangang District, Harbin 150000, Heilongjiang Province, China. wubolin@hrbmu.edu.cn
Received: August 26, 2025
Revised: September 29, 2025
Accepted: December 5, 2025
Published online: January 27, 2026
Processing time: 154 Days and 20.6 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND

The immune response following radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is characterized by a dynamic interaction between proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory factors. An elevated ratio of interleukin (IL)-6 to IL-10 may serve as a key indicator of post-RFA immune dysregulation.

AIM

To evaluate the prognostic relevance of the IL-6/IL-10 ratio as a surrogate indicator of immune dysregulation in patients with malignant liver tumors treated by RFA.

METHODS

We enrolled 91 patients undergoing RFA for hepatic malignancies were prospectively enrolled. Serum levels of IL-6 and IL-10 were measured both prior to the procedure and within 7 days post-RFA. Statistical analyses were conducted to assess the association between the IL-6/IL-10 ratio and clinical outcomes.

RESULTS

The study population consisted predominantly of males (74.73%), with a mean age of 60.88 ± 9.03 years. Most participants presented with ≤ 2 hepatic lesions (91.21%) and well-preserved hepatic function, as indicated by Child-Pugh class A status (98.9%). The mean lesion diameter was 26.27 ± 13.8 mm, and 78.02% had a documented history of hepatitis B virus infection. Post-procedural cytokine profiling revealed a marked and rapid surge in IL-6 concentrations peaking within 24 hours after RFA, whereas IL-10 exhibited only a modest elevation. Consequently, the IL-6/IL-10 ratio remained persistently elevated throughout the 7-day monitoring period (all P < 0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified the IL-6/IL-10 ratio as an independent prognostic indicator for adverse post-ablation outcomes (odds ratio = 1.11 per unit increment, 95%CI: 1.033-1.204, P = 0.006), with higher ratios signifying increased inflammatory burden. In contrast, elevated serum albumin levels conferred a protective effect (odds ratio = 0.81, 95%CI: 0.668-0.961, P = 0.021).

CONCLUSION

The IL-6/IL-10 ratio may constitute a clinically relevant biomarker indicative of immune dysregulation after RFA, with potential implications for understanding inflammation-driven outcomes and tailoring post-RFA management.

Keywords: Interleukin-6/interleukin-10 ratio; Immune dysregulation; Radiofrequency ablation; Hepatic malignancies; Inflammatory biomarkers

Core Tip: This study confirms that the post-procedural interleukin-6/interleukin-10 ratio serves as an independent prognostic biomarker for immune dysregulation in patients with malignant liver tumors following radiofrequency ablation. A persistently elevated ratio was significantly associated with adverse clinical outcomes, reflecting an immune imbalance dominated by a proinflammatory state. This highlights the clinical value of dynamic cytokine monitoring, with early postoperative measurements providing a practical tool for risk stratification. This metric can serve as a foundational parameter for developing comprehensive predictive models in the future, and its integration with clinical characteristics will advance the development of personalized management strategies after radiofrequency ablation.