Comparative Study of Interleukin- 6 (Il-6) and Tumour Necrosis Factor Alpha (Tnf-Α) Levels in Prostate Cancer and Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia Subjects

Abstract

Prostate cancer (PC) is an age-related malignancy that is very common in adult males with a very high morbidity and mortality rate worldwide. Chronic inflammation is thought to play a role in carcinogenesis. Pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tissue necrosis factor-α(TNF-α), have been implicated in the pathogenesis of prostate cancer (PC). Its diagnosis remains a challenge even with a combination of methods. Serum prostate specific antigen (Serum-PSA) is the universally accepted biomarker for PC detection. However, it is neither specific nor confirmatory. The aim of this study was to compare IL-6 and TNF-α levels in PC and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) subjects. This cross-sectional, descriptive, non-random study involved 60 histologically diagnosed PC and 20 BPH subjects attending the Urology Clinic of the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH). The Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) technique was used to assay the cytokines (IL-6 and TNF-α). From this study the peak incidence of PC and BPH subjects was observed at 60-69 years with a mean age of 68.31± 7.72 years and 66.5 ± 10.6 years respectively. The observed difference in IL-6 level in the PC and BPH subjects was not statistically significant (P = .6696). However, the mean serum TNF-α level (29.6 ± 3.2pg/ml) was significantly higher in PC subjects when compared to BPH subject levels (25.3 ± 4.7pg/ml) for TNF α. This study has shown that PC subjects have higher level TNF-α and as such it can serve as a differential marker for PC.

Modulation of adipose-derived stem cell behavior by prostate pathology-associated plasma: insights from in vitro exposure

“…Subjects with PC had higher levels of both variables than subjects with BPH. These increased levels seem to support the hypothesis that inflammation may play a significant role in the pathogenesis of PC 57,61 . Moreover, among the various forms of cancer including breast cancer, inflammation associated with the tumor microenvironment contributes to each stage of cancer progression and induces a self-reinforced senescence/inflammatory environment, which is responsible for epithelial plasticity and stemness characteristics that tend toward a more aggressive phenotype [62][63][64] .…”

“…In addition, the ELISA assay was used to measure the concentrations of IL-6 and TNF-α, which are critical in the regulation of the inflammatory response in the tumor microenvironment. Both factors are involved in tumor growth and metastasis, and changes in their concentrations appear to be directly related to the extent of disease 56 , 57 . Elevated IL-6 levels have been associated with advanced stage and metastasis-related morbidity 58 .…”