title: Impaired IFN-alpha production and the risk of cancer development.
abstract: Type I interferons (IFNs) play a pivotal role not only in antiviral immunity but also in the surveillance of cancer development. In order to quantify the critical function of type I IFNs in the suppression of human cancer development, IFN-alpha production in response to Sendai virus stimulation has been compared between healthy control subjects and hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected patients, the latter being an ideal population for longterm monitoring of cancer development. Data for IFN-alpha production were obtained retrospectively over a 17-year period by examining medical records in a study population of 2315 individuals, of which 112 healthy controls and 20 HCV-infected patients were selected. Sixty percent of the HCV-infected patients had impaired or declining IFN-alpha production, in comparison to 17% in the healthy control group. Mean IFN-alpha levels were lower in patients who developed hepatocellular carcinoma than in the HCV-infected patients who remained cancer free. Our findings suggest that impairment of IFN-alpha production may be linked to an increased cancer risk and that dysfunction of the IFN system is associated with some types of cancer. Therefore, periodic assessment and quantification of IFN-alpha production can be a potential test for the early detection of cancer in humans.
authors.affiliation: Louis Pasteur Center for Medical Research, Kyoto, 806-8225 Japan. kazukouno@louis-pasteur.or.jp
authors.forename: Kazuko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Uno
authors.forename: Mayumi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hirosaki
authors.forename: Kazuhiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kakimi
authors.forename: Masumi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tominaga
authors.forename: Yoshiki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Suginoshita
authors.forename: Goji
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hasegawa
authors.forename: Michiaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fukui
authors.forename: Naoto
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: Taro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shirakawa
authors.forename: Tsunataro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kishida
mesh_terms: D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D029082:Sendai virus / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D016898:Interferon-alpha