title: Serum interleukin-15 levels in cancer patients with cachexia.
abstract: Interleukin-15 (IL-15) has important anabolic effects on muscle protein             metabolism through a decrease in the ATP-ubiquitin-dependent proteolytic pathway.             The role of IL-15 in human cancer cachexia is unknown. The aim of this study was             to assess the relationship between interleukin-15 (IL-15) in cancer patients with             cachexia at diagnosis of malignancy and 8 weeks later. An observational study             of 21 cancer patients (with and without cachexia) and 8 healthy subjects was conducted.             Body composition was measured by leg-to-leg impedance. Serum IL-15 levels were             assessed at baseline and after 4 and 8 weeks. Baseline IL-15 values were similar             in cancer patients and in healthy subjects. Cancer patients with lower baseline             levels of IL-15 (<2 pg/ml) had significantly higher fat mass (%) along the             study. Eighteen patients completed the study: five patients showed an increase             of 3.7 kg at the end of the study (5.4% of body weight) and showed a mean increase             of IL-15 of 1.32 pg/ml (121%) at 4 weeks and 2.32 pg/ml (197%) at 8 weeks, as             compared with mean decrease of -4.1 kg (-5.3%) and -0.09 pg/ml (-2.5%) and 0.6 pg/ml             (40.8%) in the 13 patients who lost weight (P=0.001 and P=0.022, respectively).             Changes of IL-15 at 4 and 8 weeks were directly associated with changes in body             weight, body mass index (BMI), fat-free mass and muscle mass (P<0.05), and             indirectly associated with percentage of weight loss (P<0.05). In summary,             although the results indicate that IL-15 does not have a role in cancer cachexia             pathogenesis, the association during evolution between serum IL-15 and changes             in weight and muscle mass suggests a possible role of IL-15 as a marker of the             body composition response in cancer patients who are losing weight at the time             of diagnosis.
authors: Department of Internal Medicine, La Paz University Hospital, E-28046 Madrid, Spain. plmartinez.hulp@salud.madrid.org
authors: Pedro L
authors: PL
authors: Martínez-Hernández
authors: Ángel
authors: Á
authors: Hernanz-Macías
authors: Carmen
authors: C
authors: Gómez-Candela
authors: Cristina
authors: C
authors: Grande-Aragón
authors: Jaime
authors: J
authors: Feliu-Batlle
authors: Javier
authors: J
authors: Castro-Carpeño
authors: Isabel
authors: I
authors: Martínez-Muñoz
authors: Laura
authors: L
authors: Zurita-Rosa
authors: Marta
authors: M
authors: Villarino-Sanz
authors: Concepción
authors: C
authors: Prados-Sánchez
authors: Joaquín
authors: J
authors: Sánchez García-Girón
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001823:Body Composition; D001835:Body Weight; D002100:Cachexia / Q000097:blood* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019409:Interleukin-15 / Q000097:blood*; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000628:therapy; D012016:Reference Values; D015431:Weight Loss; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D019409:Interleukin-15