Chronic otitis media with cholesteatoma can result in complications through bone destruction. Investigations on the mechanism of bone destruction by cholesteatoma suggested that the phenomenon could result from the interaction between various agents such as lysosomal enzyme collagenase, acid hydrolase, prostagladin, TNF, and IL-1. IL-1 produced by activated mononuclear phagocytes, epithelial cellls, and endothelial cells induced increased production of collagenase in fibroblast-like cells. Previous immunohistochemical studies on cholesteatomas suggested that IL-1 could be involved in bone destruction. OL-6 plays an important role in the maturation of osteoclast precursor cells into osteoclasts. Moreover, it has been shown that IL-6 stimulates osteoclastic bone resorption in fetal mouse metacarpal organ culture. IL-6 could be considered an involving in the morphological and clinical characteristics of cholesteatoma. IL-8 is produced by leukocytes, epithelial cells, and fibroblasts, and activates and induces degranulation in leukocytes. Since IL-8 production can be increased by IL-1 in the cultured kerationcytes, IL-8 could be responsible of the pathologic features of cholesteatoma. This study was aimed to investigate the roles of IL-1, IL-6 and IL-8 in bone destruction by observing their distribution pattern in normal and cholesteatomatous epithelium. Authors observed the distribution pattern of IL-1α, IL-β, IL-6 and IL-8 in 10% formalin in fixed cholesteatoma, meatal, and postauricular skin after immunostaining with peroxidase antiperoxidase(PAP) method. All of the four cytokines were positively stained in the epithelial layer of the three different tissues. In basal layer of all there tissues, staining with IL-1α showed strong intensity, however tissues stained with IL-1β showed weak intensity. Staining with IL-6 and IL-8 showed no different intensity among each cell layers of cholesteatoma. The result of this study suggest that IL-6 and IL-8, in addition to IL-1α and IL-1β, may be involved in the destructive characteristics of cholesteatoma. These cytokines may regulate the destructive process either or in combination.