title: Serum soluble tumour necrosis factor receptor type I concentrations independently predict prognosis in patients with breast cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of this study was to exploit the potential clinical use of circulating cytokine assessment in patients with breast cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  The following circulating cytokines were measured in 210 histopathologically confirmed, untreated breast cancer patients: interleukin 6 (IL-6), tumour necrosis factor-α (TNFα), interleukin 8 (IL-8), soluble tumour necrosis factor receptor type I (sTNF RI), sTNF RII, interleukin 1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra), interleukin 10 (IL-10), macrophage colony-stimulating factor, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF). The patients have been followed-up for 10 years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  bFGF and VEGF showed the highest diagnostic sensitivity. Only IL-6 concentrations were related to the clinical stage. A high percentage of patients in clinical stage I showed increased serum sTNF RII, VEGF and bFGF concentrations, of which only sTNF RII was found to be increased in a smaller percentage of patients with more advanced disease compared with patients with early stage disease. Patients aged 50 years and more presented with significantly higher concentrations of sTNF RI, IL-10, IL-6 and VEGF compared with younger patients. In multivariate analysis, a significant value of pretreatment serum sTNF RI concentrations, next to stage and oestrogen receptors status, was its utility as an independent prognostic factor of the overall survival in patients with breast cancer.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Serum sTNF RI may be considered an additional, independent and clinically useful factor of poor prognosis in patients with breast cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Tumour Markers, Maria Sklodowska-Curie Cancer Centre and Institute of Oncology, Warsaw, Poland. fuksiewiczm@coi.pl
authors.forename: Malgorzata
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fuksiewicz
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kowalska
authors.forename: Beata
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kotowicz
authors.forename: Maryna
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rubach
authors.forename: Magdalena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chechlinska
authors.forename: Tadeusz
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Pienkowski
authors.forename: Janina
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kaminska
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis*; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D016222:Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 / Q000097:blood; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D047888:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor, Type I / Q000097:blood*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012995:Solubility; D016019:Survival Analysis; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D047888:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor, Type I; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D016222:Fibroblast Growth Factor 2