title: Relationship of serum levels of interleukin-6, soluble interleukin-6 receptor and tumour necrosis factor receptors to the acute-phase protein response in advanced pancreatic cancer.
abstract: The level of the acute-phase response is a major predictor of survival in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. This study examines the association between the acute-phase protein response, as determined by serum C-reactive protein, and serum levels of interleukin-6, soluble interleukin-6 receptor and the soluble tumour necrosis factor receptors in patients with pancreatic cancer. Thirty-four blood samples were collected from 13 patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. Samples were also collected from six healthy subjects. Levels of C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, soluble interleukin-6 receptor and soluble tumour necrosis factor receptors 55 and 75 were measured by indirect ELISA. Serum levels of C-reactive protein, interleukin-6 and soluble tumour necrosis factor receptors 55 and 75 were significantly higher in cancer patients than in controls. Levels of serum soluble interleukin-6 receptor were not significantly different between the two groups. In cancer patients, a significant positive association was found between the level of the acute-phase protein response and serum levels of interleukin-6, soluble tumour necrosis factor receptor 55 and soluble tumour necrosis factor receptor 75. No association was found between levels of soluble interleukin-6 receptor and any other factor. There is no significant relationship between the level of soluble interleukin-6 receptor and the acute-phase protein response in vivo and the biological role of soluble interleukin-6 receptor in the chronic inflammatory component of cachexia remains unclear.
authors.affiliation: University Department of Surgery, Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH3 9YW, Scotland, U.K.
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Barber
authors.forename: K C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Fearon
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Ross
mesh_terms: D000210:Acute-Phase Reaction / Q000097:blood; D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000097:blood*; D000368:Aged; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000097:blood; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D006801:Humans; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000097:blood*; D019947:Receptors, Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood*; D018124:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor / Q000097:blood*; D047888:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor, Type I; D047889:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor, Type II; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD; D015850:Interleukin-6; D019947:Receptors, Interleukin-6; D018124:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor; D047888:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor, Type I; D047889:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor, Type II; D002097:C-Reactive Protein