Cytokines as potential tumour markers

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Molecular Biology
• Biomarker Discovery

Background:

• Cytokines and cytokine receptors play crucial roles in cancer development and progression.
• Altered levels of these molecules are observed in cancer patients, both locally and systemically.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the current status of cytokines and their receptors as diagnostic, prognostic, predictive, and risk indicators in various cancers.
• To discuss their potential applications in clinical cancer management.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive literature search of the Medline database was conducted.
• Keywords included cytokine, interleukin, growth factor, diagnostic, prognostic, predictive, serum, ascitic, and expression.
• Over 2000 relevant articles were identified and a selection was made for review.

Main Results:

• Cytokines exhibit deregulation patterns often correlating with clinical characteristics of cancer patients.
• Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF), Interleukin-6 (IL-6), and Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) are identified as independent prognostic indicators.
• Currently, only local EGFR and HER2 expression are routinely used for targeted therapy selection in specific cancer types.

Conclusions:

• Cytokines hold significant potential for future cancer management.
• They are likely to improve prognosis indication, patient selection for targeted therapies, and monitoring of treatment response and recurrence.
• Cytokines may serve as valuable components of broader tumor marker panels for enhanced cancer diagnosis.