Interleukin-8 in non-small cell lung carcinoma: relation with angiogenic pattern and p53 alterations

Progression of solid tumors, including NSCLC, is associated with increase in MVC (microvessel count), as a measure of tumor angiogenesis resulting from an imbalance between angiogenic factors and inhibitors. However, since tumor angiogenesis is a multi-step process under the control of various molecules, the mechanism of angiogenesis has not been fully clarified. Interleukin (IL)-8 has been shown to have a potential angiogenic effect in vitro and in vivo, and is overexpressed in several human solid cancers. Among the various angiogenic factors, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) has been shown to correlate with a high MVC and with adverse prognosis in several human cancers, including NSCLC. Alterations of p53 suppressor gene are the most common genetic changes found in malignant tumors; several studies examined the link between aberrant p53 and angiogenesis in lung cancer, but only a few studies report data regarding a relation between p53 mutations and IL-8 expression. In this study we observed a correlation between IL-8 mRNA expression, intratumoral MVC and VEGF mRNA expression levels; furthermore, an aberrant p53 status was related to IL-8 expression. However, in our samples IL-8 levels did not significantly affect prognosis of NSCLC; more studies are required to elucidate the precise role of IL-8 in a large series of patients with non-small cell lung carcinoma.