Concentration of serum interleukin-27 increase in patients with lymph node metastatic gastroesophageal cancer.

BACKGROUND

Cytokines, one of the key mediators of immune response, play an important role in cancer development.

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to evaluate the interleukin-27 (IL-27) concentration in the serum of patients with gastroesophageal cancer (GEC) and in patients with non-cancerous benign diseases of the upper digestive tract (NCD). We investigated the relationship between the serum IL-27 level and clinicopathological factors, and also the diagnostic utility of IL-27 as a marker of GEC presence. Additionally, we evaluated the concentrations of serum IL-27 in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma before and after surgical tumor resection.

MATERIAL AND

METHODS

Serum samples from 84 GEC patients, 39 NCD patients and 33 healthy subjects were assayed. The levels of IL-27, IL-6, IL-12 and IFN-γ were determined using ELISA kits.

RESULTS

The serum levels of IL-27 were significantly higher in the GEC patients than in the healthy control (p < 0.0001) and in NCD patients (p = 0.006). The concentrations of serum IL-27 were related to lymph node status (p = 0.044). ROC analysis showed a significant relationship between a high level of serum IL-27 and GEC presence (AUC = 0.766, p < 0.001). The concentrations of serum IL-27 were significantly higher in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma 3 months after esophagectomy than before the operation (p = 0.003).

CONCLUSIONS

Our results demonstrated that a high serum IL-27 level is associated with cancer presence and lymph node metastases in GEC. Significantly higher levels of IL-27 in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma after tumor resection may imply that host immune cells are one of the important sources of circulating IL-27.