Serum levels of interleukin-18 and nitrite+nitrate in renal cell carcinoma patients with different tumor stage and grade.
Interleukin (IL-18) and nitric oxide (NO) are immunoregulatory cytokines that have been suggested to participitate in the multistep process of carcinogenesis. In this study, serum IL-18 and nitrite+nitrate levels (as an index of NO generation) were measured in 26 patients with histologically confirmed renal cell carcinoma (RCC) before surgical procedure and in 8 healthy controls. RCC patients showed significantly higher serum IL-18 levels when compared to the control subjects (p<0.001). Serum IL-18 levels were found to be similar in patients with T1 and T2, T3, T4 tumors (p>0.05). Patients with grade 3 and 4 tumors showed significantly higher serum IL-18 levels when compared to the patients with grade 1 and 2 tumors (p<0.05). No significant difference was found in serum nitrite+nitrate levels between RCC patients and control subjects (p>0.05). Serum nitrite+nitrate levels were lower in patients with grade 3 and 4 tumors than those with grade 1 and 2 tumors, but this was not statistically significant (p=0.063). In conclusion, elevated serum level of IL-18 in RCC patients than in controls and extra-increase of this level in those with high grade tumors may reflect the degree of human defence mechanisms against tumor cells in RCC.
Sözen
S
S
Department of Urology, Gazi University Medical School, Ankara, Turkey.
Coskun
U
U
Sancak
B
B
Bukan
N
N
Günel
N
N
Tunc
L
L
Bozkirli
I
I
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002292:Carcinoma, Renal Cell / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020382:Interleukin-18 / Q000097:blood*; D007680:Kidney Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009566:Nitrates / Q000097:blood*; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000502:physiology; D009573:Nitrites / Q000097:blood*
D020382:Interleukin-18; D009566:Nitrates; D009573:Nitrites; D009569:Nitric Oxide