title: Interleukin-24 is correlated with differentiation and lymph node numbers in rectal cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the significance of interleukin (IL)-24 and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression in lymph-node-positive rectal cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between 1998 and 2005, 90 rectal adenocarcinoma patients with lymph node involvement were enrolled. All patients received radical surgery and postoperative pelvic chemoradiotherapy of 50.4-54.0 Gy. Chemotherapy of 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin or levamisole was given intravenously during the first and last week of radiotherapy, and then monthly for about 6 mo. Expression of IL-24 and VEGF was evaluated by immunohistochemical staining of surgical specimens, and their relations with patient characteristics and survival were analyzed. The median follow-up of surviving patients was 73 mo (range: 52-122 mo).
  
  
  RESULTS
  IL-24 expression was found in 81 out of 90 patients; 31 showed weak intensity and 50 showed strong intensity. VEGF expression was found in 64 out of 90 patients. Negative and weak intensities of IL-24 expression were classified as negative expression for analysis. IL-24 expression was significantly reduced in poorly differentiated tumors in comparison with well or moderately differentiated tumors (P = 0.004), N2b to earlier N stages (P = 0.016), and stage IIIc to stage IIIa or IIIb (P = 0.028). The number of involved lymph nodes was also significantly reduced in IL-24-positive patients in comparison with IL-24-negative ones.There was no correlation between VEGF expression and patient characteristics. Expression of IL-24 and VEGF was not correlated with survival, but N stage and stages were significantly correlated with survival.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  IL-24 expression was significantly correlated with histological differentiation, and inversely correlated with the degree of lymph node involvement in stage III rectal cancer.
authors: Department of Radiation Oncology, Dong-A University School of Medicine, Busan, 602-714, South Korea. cymin00@yahoo.co.kr
authors: Youngmin
authors: Y
authors: Choi
authors: Mee-Sook
authors: MS
authors: Roh
authors: Young-Seoub
authors: YS
authors: Hong
authors: Hyung-Sik
authors: HS
authors: Lee
authors: Won-Joo
authors: WJ
authors: Hur
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007378:Interleukins / Q000378:metabolism*; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology*; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012004:Rectal Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000378:metabolism*; D000099180:Interleukin-24
chemical_list: D007378:Interleukins; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D000099180:Interleukin-24