Macrophage expression of interleukin-10 is a prognostic factor in nonsmall cell lung cancer.
Interleukin (IL)-10 is expressed in many solid tumours and plays an ambiguous role in controlling cancer growth and metastasis. In order to determine whether IL-10 is involved in tumour progression and prognosis in nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC), IL-10 expression in tumour cells and tumour-associated macrophages (TAMs) and its associations, if any, with clinicopathological features were investigated. Paraffin-embedded sections of surgical specimens obtained from 50 patients who had undergone surgery for NSCLC were immunostained with an antibody directed against IL-10. TAMs and tumour cells positive for IL-10 were subsequently quantified. IL-10-positive TAM percentage was higher in patients with stage II, III and IV NSCLC, and in those with lymph node metastases compared with patients with stage I NSCLC. High IL-10 expression by TAMs was a significant independent predictor of advanced tumour stage, and thus was associated with worse overall survival. Conversely, IL-10 expression by tumour cells did not differ between stages II, III and IV and stage I NSCLC. In conclusion, interleukin-10 expression by tumour-associated macrophages, but not by tumour cells, may play a role in the progression and prognosis of nonsmall cell lung cancer. These results may be useful in the development of novel approaches for anticancer treatments.
Zeni
E
E
Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Sperimentale, Sezione di Igiene e Medicina del Lavoro, Via Fossato di Mortara 64/b, 44100, Ferrara, Italy.
Mazzetti
L
L
Miotto
D
D
Lo Cascio
N
N
Maestrelli
P
P
Querzoli
P
P
Pedriali
M
M
De Rosa
E
E
Fabbri
L M
LM
Mapp
C E
CE
Boschetto
P
P
D000368:Aged; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis*; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000379:methods; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000378:metabolism*; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008264:Macrophages / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D011379:Prognosis; D012907:Smoking; D013997:Time Factors
D016753:Interleukin-10