In addition to the profibrotic role of interleukin 6 and transforming growth factor-β, newer studies stress on glycoprotein Krebs von den Lungen-6 (KL-6), surfactant protein-D (SP-D) and chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 18 (CCL18) as potential biomarkers of skin and lung fibrosis in SSc.<b>Expert opinion</b>: Skin and lung biomarkers in SSc frequently mirror the typical signs of fibrosis, overlapping sporadically.
Serum levels of Krebs von den Lungen-6 as a promising marker for predicting occurrence and deterioration of systemic sclerosis-associated interstitial lung disease from a Chinese cohort.
Moreover, there is converging evidence that C-reactive protein and pneumoproteins such as Krebs von den Lungen-6 and chemokine ligand 18 could serve as prognostic biomarkers in systemic sclerosis-associated interstitial lung disease.
ILD severity/activity before treatment and variability of serum KL-6 and SP-D levels during treatment may be useful to predict therapeutic effects of IVCY on SSc-ILD.