title: Clinicopathologic significance of cytokine levels in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Treatment's effect on esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) patients' immune functions may influence outcomes. Here, we address the scarcity of information about immune responses of treated and untreated ESCC patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Levels of IFN-gamma, TNF-alpha, IL-2, IL-4, IL-5 and IL-10 were detected in 36 untreated patients (UPs), and 82 treated patients (TPs) with ESCC, and in 70 healthy controls, using cytometric bead arrays.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Levels of IL-2, IL-4 and IL-5 were higher (p < 0.001), and TNF-alpha was lower (p < 0.01), in UPs than in controls; IFN-gamma, IL-2, IL-4, IL-5 and IL-10 levels were higher in TPs than in controls (p < 0.001); IFN-gamma, TNF-alpha and IL-10 levels were higher in TPs than in UPs (p < 0.05); IFN-gamma/IL-4 ratios of UPs were lower than controls (p < 0.05). Levels did not significantly differ by age or weight index, but did differ by clinical stages, differentiation degree and tumor location. Patients' survival was affected by clinical stage (p = 0.001), differentiation degree (p = 0.012), tumor location (p = 0.043) and lymph node involvement (p = 0.039); clinical stage was an independent prognostic factor (p = 0.014).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We found that Th1/Th2 imbalance and immune function turbulence correlate with differentiation degree, clinical stage and tumor location. Moreover, clinical stage is currently the best predictor of survival.
authors: Zhejiang Cancer Research Institute, Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310031, China.
authors: Zhu
authors: Z
authors: Xin
authors: Fu
authors: F
authors: Wenyu
authors: Xu
authors: X
authors: Shenhua
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016207:Cytokines / Q000276:immunology*; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000276:immunology; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000276:immunology; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000276:immunology; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000276:immunology; D015848:Interleukin-5 / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D007376:Interleukin-2; D015848:Interleukin-5; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D016753:Interleukin-10; D015847:Interleukin-4; D007371:Interferon-gamma