title: IL-7, IL-18, MCP-1, MIP1-β, and OPG as biomarkers for pain treatment response in patients with cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Pain is one of the most common symptoms in patients suffering from advanced cancer and receiving palliative care and is often responsible for a poor quality of life. To date, there exists no published correlation between biological, measurable biomarkers and pain intensity.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The primary objective was to search and identify pain-associated cytokines (biomarkers) correlating with changes in numeric rating scale (NRS) pain scores in patients with cancer before and after pain treatment. The secondary objectives were to assess cytokine serum level differences between patients and healthy controls and to evaluate possible relationships between pain entities, pain intensity (in NRS), gender, location of primary tumor, and the patients' cytokine baseline concentrations.
  
  
  METHODS
  Controlled, prospective study.
  
  
  METHODS
  University medical center.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eligible patients with exacerbated cancer-related pain (NRS = 5) and healthy controls with no pain were included. Serum level changes of 19 cytokines were analyzed before and during opioid treatment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 19 analyzed biomarkers, 5 (IL-7, IL-18, MCP-1, MIP-1α, MIP-1β and OPG) turned out to correlate significantly with pain relief. In healthy controls, all analyzed cytokines showed no significant differences. In the secondary analysis, only one significant correlation was detected between OPG and pain entities. Furthermore, IL-4, IL-7, IFN-γ and OPG appeared to account for the ability to predict a patient's gender.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings should be considered as preliminary and need to be confirmed in further studies.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results provide preliminary evidence of a significant correlation of pain relief in patients with cancer and at least 5 cytokines. These biomarkers may serve as the basis for development of diagnostic tools for pain assessment and could serve as potential new targets for pain control.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Human Genetics, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria.
authors.forename: Ellen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Heitzer
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sandner-Kiesling
authors.forename: Walter
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Schippinger
authors.forename: Imke
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Stohscheer
authors.forename: Ingrid
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Osprian
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bitsche
authors.forename: Florian
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Eisner
authors.forename: Juliane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Verebes
authors.forename: Günter
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hofmann
authors.forename: Hellmut
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Samonigg
mesh_terms: D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing / Q000097:blood; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000700:Analgesics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood*; D018932:Chemokine CCL2 / Q000097:blood; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020382:Interleukin-18 / Q000097:blood; D015851:Interleukin-7 / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications; D053244:Osteoprotegerin / Q000097:blood; D010146:Pain / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology
chemical_list: D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; D000700:Analgesics; D015415:Biomarkers; C111835:CCL2 protein, human; D018932:Chemokine CCL2; D016207:Cytokines; D020382:Interleukin-18; D015851:Interleukin-7; C493277:MAPKAP1 protein, human; D053244:Osteoprotegerin