Background. A crucial role in the development of cancer is played by the tumor microenvironment (TM) – a microenvironment that is formed as a result of the interaction between the tumor tissue and macroorganism cells. The concentration of TM cytokines in the blood varies depending on the activity of the tumor and the presence of a metastatic process. It is advisable to study the existing mediator imbalance of TM, its characteristic features in the process of tumor development for the diagnosis and prognosis of the tumor process.The aim. To identify markers of tumor progression in the study of tissue and serum cytokines in women diagnosed with breast cancer.Materials and methods. The object of the study is blood serum cytokines and tumor supernatants (MCP-1, VEGF, TNF-α, IFN-γ, TGF-β1, G-CSF, GM-CSF). The study involved 80 patients with breast cancer aged 50–69 years and 26 practically healthy women aged 41 to 62 years. A standard examination of women was conducted; a cytokine profile study was conducted before the appointment of therapy. To study the cytokine profile at the tissue level, tumor biopsies (n = 30) and biopsies of unchanged breast tissue (n = 6) were incubated to determine the production of MCP-1, VEGF, TNF-α, IFN-γ, TGF-β1, G-CSF, GM-CSF.Results. There was a moderate positive correlation between the stage of the disease and the level of TGF-β1, MCP-1 blood serum, a weak one – with G-CSF. In the incubated tumor tissue, a high positive correlation of cytokines on the stage of the disease is observed in growth factors: VEGF (R = 0.79; p > 0.05) and TGF-β1 (R = 0.61; p > 0.05).Conclusion. The study revealed the characteristic features of the cytokine profile of blood serum and tumor tissue in breast cancer at local and widespread stages. The revealed differences in the level of cytokines should be used as additional diagnostic indicators of the degree of activity and prevalence of the tumor process.

Aim. To study the spontaneous and stimulated production of cytokines in biopsies of breast cancer (BC) depending on the cancer stage.Materials and methods. An experimental study was carried out with cell cultures of breast cancer biopsies of stages I–II (group 1, n = 15) and III–IV stages (group 2, n = 15). The control consisted of 6 healthy women who underwent mastopexy. We used enzyme immunoassay method to access spontaneous and induced by a complex of polyclonal activators (PA: phytohemagglutinin 4 μg / ml, concanavalin A 4 μg / ml, lipopolysaccharide 2 μg / ml) concentration of TNF-α, IFN-γ, G-CSF, GM-CSF, VEGF, MCP-1, TGF-β1. The index of the effect of polyclonal activators (IVPA) on cytokine production (induced production / spontaneous production) was calculated. To compare groups, the Mann-Whitney test and the median test, the chi-square test and the Fisher’s exact test were used.Results. Groups 1 and 2 did not differ in age, histological variant and immunohistochemical type of tumour, predominantly invasive cancer without signs of specificity prevailed. In group 2, a pronounced vascularization was more often observed: in 6 (40%) patients versus 1 (7%) in group 1 (p < 0.05). In both groups, compared with the control, there was a statistically sig-nificant (p < 0.05) increase in spontaneous production of TNF-α by 4.2 and 4.8 times, MCP-1 by 6.7 and 6.3 times, TGF-β1 – 2.2 and 2.5 times, VEGF 11.9 and 14.6 times; GM-CSF 15.6 and 13.4 times, G-CSF 96.8 and 79.5 times, respectively. The concentration of MCP-1 and IFN-γ was higher in group 1 (p < 0.05), VEGF and TGF-β1 – in group 2 (p < 0.05). IVPA in group 2 exceeded similar values   in group 1 for G-CSF, VEGF, TGF-β1 (p < 0.05).Conclusion. The production of cytokines (TNF-α, MCP-1, GM-CSF, G-CSF, VEGF, TGF-β1) in breast cancer biopsies is significantly higher than in biopsies of the unchanged mammary gland and depends on the stage of the tumour process.

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