IL6 and neoplasm: Interestingly, the serum concentration was relatively high (>15,000 pg/mL; Table 2), given that mean sCD14-ST/presepsin levels above 1000 pg/mL are typically observed in populations with severe sepsis or septic shock.[18] Because of its central role in systemic inflammation and tumor progression, we used the Elecsys® IL-6 assay (Roche Diagnostics, Germany) to measure the serum concentration of interleukin-6 (IL-6) in duplicate.