Pancreatic cyst fluid interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) level in predicting the risk of malignancy in pancreatic cysts

Pancreatic cystic lesions (PCLs) may be accidentally discovered in up to 13.5% of cases. These PCLs are of multiple types, including mucinous cysts (intra-ductal papillary mucinous neoplasms [IPMN] and mucinous cystic neoplasms [MCN]) that have a risk of malignant transformation. The difficulty in differentiation between the various PCLs and their unpredictable risk of malignant transformation makes their management difficult. The new diagnostic tools of PCLs often include endoscopic ultrasound guided fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) for pancreatic cyst fluid analysis. This study aimed to determine if cystic fluid IL-1β can predict the risk of malignancy and the degrees of dysplasia of pancreatic cysts. The study included 50 PCL patients. They were subjected to radiological, biochemical, serological, and histopathological examinations. Pancreatic cyst fluid IL-1β was analyzed using an ELISA. Our data indicated that cyst fluid IL-1 β can differentiate between benign and malignant cysts at cut-off value150 pg/ml; with sensitivity and specificity of 84.00% and 56.00% respectively. Also, cyst fluid IL-1 β can differentiate between mucinous and non- mucinous pancreatic cysts at cut-off value150 pg/ml; with a sensitivity and specificity of 83.33% and 53.78%, respectively. However, cyst fluid IL-1 β cannot differentiate between degrees of dysplasia of IPMN. In conclusion, our study suggested that pancreatic cyst fluid IL-1β can differentiate between.