IL-6 is a survival prognostic factor in renal cell carcinoma

Immunol Lett. 1997 Jul;58(2):121-4. doi: 10.1016/s0165-2478(97)00036-9.

Abstract

It has been reported that a high plasmatic concentration of interleukin-6 (IL-6) is correlated to a lack of response to immunotherapy in several malignancies, suggesting that IL-6 was either a marker of tumour aggressiveness or had only a predictive value of response to immunotherapy. To discriminate between these two possibilities, a retrospective study was performed in a series of 19 patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma who did not respond to IL-2/IFNalpha/5-FU treatment. Serum levels of IL-6, C-reactive Protein (CRP), soluble IL-2-receptor (sIL-2R), M-CSF and neopterin were assayed before treatment. IL-6 showed a significant correlation with patients median survival time (P < 0.016), suggesting that serum concentration of IL-6 before treatment is a marker of tumour aggressiveness rather than a predictive parameter for an immunological response.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic / therapeutic use
  • Biomarkers
  • Biopterins / analogs & derivatives
  • Biopterins / blood
  • C-Reactive Protein / analysis
  • Carcinoma, Renal Cell / blood*
  • Carcinoma, Renal Cell / drug therapy
  • Carcinoma, Renal Cell / mortality
  • Carcinoma, Renal Cell / therapy
  • Combined Modality Therapy
  • Female
  • Fluorouracil / therapeutic use
  • Humans
  • Immunologic Factors / therapeutic use
  • Immunotherapy
  • Interferon alpha-2
  • Interferon-alpha / therapeutic use
  • Interleukin-6 / blood*
  • Kidney Neoplasms / blood*
  • Kidney Neoplasms / drug therapy
  • Kidney Neoplasms / mortality
  • Kidney Neoplasms / therapy
  • Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor / blood
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Neoplasm Metastasis
  • Neopterin
  • Prognosis
  • Receptors, Interleukin-2 / blood
  • Recombinant Proteins
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Survival Analysis

Substances

  • Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic
  • Biomarkers
  • Immunologic Factors
  • Interferon alpha-2
  • Interferon-alpha
  • Interleukin-6
  • Receptors, Interleukin-2
  • Recombinant Proteins
  • Biopterins
  • Neopterin
  • Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor
  • C-Reactive Protein
  • Fluorouracil