title: Relation between insulin resistance and serum concentrations of IL-6 and TNF-alpha in overweight or obese women with early stage breast cancer.
abstract: Insulin resistance (IR) and obesity may be risk factors for breast cancer. The mechanism of IR in patients with cancer has not been fully clarified yet. This study was conducted to evaluate the possible role of circulating cytokines; tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin 6 (IL-6) in inducing IR in 20 overweight or obese patients with early stage breast cancer and to compare their levels with that of body mass index matched 20 healthy controls. IR was calculated by homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) method. Four groups were formed according to a 2.7 HOMA-IR cut-off value as breast cancer with or without IR and controls with or without IR. IL-6 and HOMA-IR values were found to be higher in breast cancer patients with IR compared to other groups. There was no significant difference in TNF-alpha levels between groups. HOMA-IR values correlated with estradiol and IL-6 levels in all breast cancer patients but not TNF-alpha. HOMA-IR values, serum insulin, estradiol and IL-6 levels in the receptor positive group were significantly higher than those of the receptor negative group. These results suggested a possible contribution of endogenous IL-6 production and hyperinsulinemia to the development of breast cancer in overweight or obese patients with prominent IR.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, Uludağ University Medical School, Bursa, Turkey. ecanan@uludag.edu.tr
authors.forename: Guzin
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gonullu
authors.forename: Canan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ersoy
authors.forename: Alpaslan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ersoy
authors.forename: Turkkan
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Evrensel
authors.forename: Bilkay
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Basturk
authors.forename: Ender
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kurt
authors.forename: Barboros
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Oral
authors.forename: Sehsuvar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gokgoz
authors.forename: Osman
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Manavoglu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007333:Insulin Resistance; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D015850:Interleukin-6; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha