IL6 and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma: Rachon et al. showed that 17β-estradiol decreases spontaneous production of interleukin 6 (IL6) by mononuclear cells, resulting in lower serum IL6 levels.18 High levels of IL6 in the serum are associated with reduced complete response and diminished overall survival among patients with DLBCL.19 Thus, it could be suggested that estrogen provides a protective effect by lowering IL6 levels.