The role of IL-35 and IL-37 in breast cancer – potential therapeutic targets for precision medicine

Abstract

Breast cancer is still a major concern due to its relatively poor prognosis in women, although there are many approaches being developed for the management of breast cancer. Extensive studies demonstrate that the development of breast cancer is determined by pro versus anti tumorigenesis factors, which are closely related to host immunity. IL-35 and IL-37, anti-inflammatory cytokines, play an important role in the maintenance of immune homeostasis. The current review focuses on the correlation between clinical presentations and the expression of IL-35 and IL-37, as well as the potential underlying mechanism during the development of breast cancer in vitro and in vivo. IL-35 is inversely correlated the differentiation and prognosis in breast cancer patients; whereas IL-37 shows dual roles during the development of breast cancer, and may be breast cancer stage dependent. Such information might be useful for both basic scientists and medical practitioners in the management of breast cancer patients.

Novel insights into IL-37: an anti-inflammatory cytokine with emerging roles in anti-cancer process

“…Although IL-37 is protective during the development of breast cancer, there is no significant difference in IL-37 mRNA expression of patients with metastasis among ER+/PR+/HER2+, ER+/PR+ and PR+ patients, indicating that IL-37 expression may be stage-dependent, i.e. is more protective for breast cancer patients without metastasis (126). This might explain the results of Wang WQ et al for the high metastatic characteristic of 4T1 mammary tumor cells.…”

“…However, IL-37 was not regarded to obviously improve mice survival rate in the study of Wang WQ et al (125). A recent study verified that circulating IL-37 was highest in ER+/PR+/HER2+ breast cancer patients, compared to PR+, but not ER+/PR+ patients without metastasis, suggesting that IL-37 may influence the prognosis of breast cancer via ER+/PR+/HER2+ signaling (126). Although IL-37 is protective during the development of breast cancer, there is no significant difference in IL-37 mRNA expression of patients with metastasis among ER+/PR+/HER2+, ER+/PR+ and PR+ patients, indicating that IL-37 expression may be stage-dependent, i.e.…”