Comparison of surgical stress in patients undergoing open versus laparoscopic radical prostatectomy by measuring perioperative serum cytokine levels

We evaluated the perioperative serum levels of inflammatory cytokines in patients with prostate cancer (PCa) treated with open or laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (RP) and assessed the surgical stress based on the cytokine levels in addition to conventional clinical stress markers after surgery. One hundred sixty-five patients who received RP for clinically localized PCa were enrolled. Serum levels of interleukin (IL)-10, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor-α, IL-1β, IL-8, and IL-12p70 were quantitatively measured using a multiplex bead array at three time points (i.e., before the operation [pre-OP], immediately after the operation [post-OP], and on postoperative Day 1 [POD1]). The perioperative changes in serum stress markers, including cytokines, were compared between patients who underwent open and laparoscopic RP, and the predictors for high levels of postoperative cytokines were assessed. The median age and estimated blood loss were significantly lower in the laparoscopic RP group than in the open RP group (P=.003 and P