title: The role of pro-inflammatory cytokines and immune cells in colorectal carcinoma progression.
abstract: Cytokines exhibit a pleiotropic effect in the regulation of the immune cell function, tumor growth and antitumor immune responses. A total of 30 patients with colorectal carcinoma were enrolled on this study and their levels of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-8, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, serum granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (sG-CSF) and serum macrophage colony-stimulating factor (sM-CSF) were measured preoperatively using ELISA. Tumor-infiltrating granulocyte (TIG), tumor-associated macrophage (TAM), G-CSF and M-CSF expression in tumor cells were examined using immunostaining. This study revealed abnormal levels of cytokines in patients, including IL-1β (1/30, 3.3%), IL-6 (16/30 53.3%), IL-81 (15/30, 50%), TNF-α (4/21, 19%), sG-CSF (17/30, 56.7%) and sM-CSF (4/21, 19%). There was a positive linear correlation between IL-6 and sM-CSF (P=0.017, R=0.517). sG-CSF was significantly associated with a deeper tumor invasion (P=0.039) and a more advanced tumor stage (P=0.023). The granulocyte/lymphocyte (G/L) ratio was associated with abnormal levels of sG-CSF. Logistic univariate analysis revealed that TIGs were a risk factor for lymph node metastasis (0.019) and TAMs were a risk factor for depth of invasion (0.029), but this was not confirmed in logistic multivariate analysis. In conclusion, IL-6, IL-8, sM-CSF and sG-CSF may indirectly promote tumor growth, progression and metastasis by changing the leukocyte populations in the blood and the tumor microenvironment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian 116011, P.R. China ;
authors.forename: Huanran
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Zhen
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Takafumi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tabuchi
authors.forename: Shouyu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Jiangning
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
keywords: colorectal carcinoma; cytokine; granulocyte colony-stimulating factor; granulocyte/lymphocyte ratio; interleukin-6; macrophage-colony stimulating factor