title: The role of interleukin-6 in gynaecological malignancies.
abstract: There are many parallels between gynaecological cancers in relation to cytokine networks within their respective tumour microenvironments and evidence to support interleukin-6 (IL-6) being an appropriate therapeutic target in these diseases. This article provides an overview on IL-6 biology including updates on novel discoveries in IL-6 signalling and then focuses on the role of IL-6 in processes such as cell proliferation, migration, angiogenesis, evasion of tumour immunity and chemoresistance and presents data relating to the abrogation of these processes with anti-IL-6 targeted therapy in preclinical and clinical studies. The overall aim will be to highlight the necessity for further translational studies concentrating on combinations of anti-IL-6/IL-6R therapies with other novel targets in an attempt to significantly improve overall survival in patients with gynaecological cancers.
authors.affiliation: Cancer Therapeutics Group, Mater Medical Research Institute, Mater Hospitals, Brisbane, QLD, Australia. jcoward@mmri.mater.org.au
authors.forename: Jermaine I G
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Coward
authors.forename: Hagen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kulbe
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001202:Ascitic Fluid / Q000737:chemistry; D019008:Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; D005260:Female; D005833:Genital Neoplasms, Female / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000378:metabolism*; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D015850:Interleukin-6