The diagnostic and prognostic role of cytokines in colon cancer

Abstract

In the United States, colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer diagnosis in both men and women. Many patients are diagnosed with advanced stage CRC which has a high rate of mortality compared to localized CRC. Developing novel diagnostic tools is important for early detection to decrease both morbidity and mortality. Currently, colonoscopy is the most common screening test, though its effectiveness in reducing mortality remains uncertain and it is costly, invasive and carries risk. Stool-based tests such as fecal occult blood test and fecal immunochemical test for hemoglobin are relatively inexpensive, cause no discomfort and have no risk but lack sufficient specificity or sensitivity. Stool DNA tests may be more sensitive, but are not cost-effective and have not been sufficiently evaluated in population-based studies. To improve diagnostic efficacy, it is necessary to develop tests that limit patient discomfort and are cost-effective while providing adequate sensitivity and specificity. Elucidating serum biomarker profiles for various stages of CRC would provide a platform from which to develop enzyme-linked immunosorbent and multiplex bead array assays for clinical use. Both inflammation-induced and sporadic CRC trigger immune responses that are mediated by cytokine production. Many inflammatory serum proteins have been analyzed for their ability to predict cancer. Patient cohort studies have detected differential expression of inflammatory serum biomarkers in healthy controls compared to persons with various stages of CRC. Moreover, proteomics and animal research have uncovered additional serum factors implicated in CRC. Analysis of known differentially-expressed biomarkers along with further study of potential biomarkers may lead to clinically useful serum biomarker profiles for CRC.

ncRNAs-mediated high expression of POSTN correlates with poor prognosis and tumor immune infiltration of colorectal cancer

“…Schetter et al [43] also reported that IL-1B was highly expressed in adenocarcinoma tissue compared with normal tissue in CRC patients. Furthermore, some studies revealed that high expression levels of IL-1B were signi cantly associated with tumor staging, survival, and metastasis in CRC patients [44][45]. In the present study, we also found that the expression level of IL-1B was higher in tumor tissue than normal tissue.…”

<p>miR-370-3p Alleviates Ulcerative Colitis-Related Colorectal Cancer in Mice Through Inhibiting the Inflammatory Response and Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition</p>

“…TNF-α signaling promotes the expression of downstream inflammatory mediators associated with abnormal cell proliferation and differentiation. 32 An elevated TNF-α level increased the risk of CRC, 33 and a decreased IL-1β level reduced the risk of advanced CRC. 34 IL-6, an important downstream inflammatory mediator of TNF-α signaling pathway, is associated with tumor occurrence, tumor size, advanced tumor stage and the survival of CRC patients.…”

Immune checkpoint blockade induced shifts in cytokine expression patterns in peripheral blood of head and neck cancer patients are linked to outcome

“…During the activation of a cytokine pathway associated with inflammation or disease progression, their concentration can increase up to 1,000-fold ( 22 ). The role of cytokines as potential biomarkers in cancer has been investigated by many studies ( 23 – 26 ) including our group ( 27 , 28 ). Some cytokines are excessively produced by tumor cells ( 29 ), and consequently, varying cytokine concentrations seem to be valid predictors for disease progression and the effects of treatment ( 30 , 31 ).…”