Increased interleukin-10 serum levels in patients with solid tumours.
In 40 out of 99 patients (40.4%) with solid tumours of different tissue, but the same stage (IV), elevated serum levels of interleukin-10 were observed. The mean levels of the cytokine in patients with malignant melanoma (24.3 ng/ml), pancreatic (6.8 ng/ml) or gastric (6.3 ng/ml) adenocarcinoma were significantly higher than in healthy subjects (3.4 ng/ml) or in patients with uterine fibroma (1.7 ng/ml). Patients with colon (6.8 ng/ml) and renal (5.7 ng/ml) carcinoma had similar values of interleukin-10 but did not significantly differ from controls. Interleukin-10 is known to suppress the functions of both T lymphocytes and macrophages, working as a general dampener of the immune and inflammatory responses. The observation of increased circulating levels of interleukin-10 in cancer patients may have important implications for future investigations, immunological monitoring and therapeutic intervention on neoplastic patients, and suggests a mechanism for tumour cells escaping from immune surveillance.
Fortis
C
C
Adoptive Immunotherapy Laboratory, IRCCS H San Raffaele, Milan, Italy.
Foppoli
M
M
Gianotti
L
L
Galli
L
L
Citterio
G
G
Consogno
G
G
Gentilini
O
O
Braga
M
M
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000097:blood*; D012016:Reference Values
D016753:Interleukin-10