Serum interleukin-10 levels as a prognostic factor in advanced non-small cell lung cancer patients.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the prognostic significance of interleukin (IL)-10 serum levels in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients.


METHODS
IL-10 serum levels were measured before chemotherapy, on completion of therapy, and at follow-up by means of a commercially available enzyme-linked immunoassay. The results were then analyzed in comparison with other prognostic variables, and a model predicting overall survival (OS) and time to treatment failure (TTF) was finally generated.


METHODS
University hospital.


METHODS
Sixty consecutive patients with TNM stage III or IV NSCLC undergoing conventional platinum-based regimens.


RESULTS
Elevated levels of serum IL-10 were found in cancer patients with respect to healthy control subjects (17.7 +/- 4.4 vs 9.2 +/- 1.5 pg/mL, respectively; p < 0.05), with patients with metastatic disease showing significantly higher levels than patients with undisseminated cancer (21.0 +/- 4.2 vs 14.3 +/- 1.2 pg/mL, respectively; p < 0.05). Following completion of treatment, patients were classified as responders if they had achieved either one of the following: complete response, partial response, or stable disease; and nonresponders, in case of progressive disease. Retrospective analysis of basal IL-10 serum levels in these two subgroups showed a significant difference between responders and nonresponders (15.2 +/- 2.2 vs 21.4 +/- 4.2 pg/mL, respectively; p < 0.05). Moreover, a further significant increase in IL-10 serum levels was observed in nonresponders at the end of therapy (21.4 +/- 4.2 vs 26.0 +/- 4.3 pg/mL, prechemotherapy and postchemotherapy, respectively; p < 0.05), whereas values in responders were found to have significantly decreased (15.2 +/- 2.2 vs 14.8 +/- 2.2 pg/mL, prechemotherapy and postchemotherapy, respectively; p < 0.05). Using univariate and multivariate analyses, both OS and TTF were shown to be affected by the mean pathologic levels of IL-10. Stepwise regression analysis identified IL-10 serum level and stage as the prognostic factors related to OS, and IL-10 serum level and performance status as the prognostic factors related to TTF.


CONCLUSIONS
In conclusion, this study shows that the measurement of pretreatment IL-10 serum levels is of independent prognostic utility in patients with NSCLC and may be useful for detection of disease progression.
De Vita
F
F
Department of Clinical & Experimental Medicine "F. Magrassi," Second University of Naples School of Medicine, Naples, Italy.
Orditura
M
M
Galizia
G
G
Romano
C
C
Roscigno
A
A
Lieto
E
E
Catalano
G
G
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology / Q000401:mortality; D018450:Disease Progression; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000097:blood*; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology / Q000401:mortality; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D016019:Survival Analysis; D017211:Treatment Failure
D016753:Interleukin-10