Interleukin-18 Is a Prognostic Marker and Plays a Tumor Suppressive Role in Colon Cancer
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Published on: January 25, 2017
Xiaodong Feng1, Zhijun Zhang2, Peng Sun3
1Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266000, China.
Abstract:
Interleukin-18 (IL-18) belongs to the IL-1 family and is an essential proinflammatory and immune regulatory cytokine. The present study was designed to investigate the expression and function of IL-18 in colon cancer. In clinical analyses, mRNA and protein expressions of IL-18 were decreased in tissues of colon cancer patients. This decreased expression of IL-18 was significantly correlated with the tumor size (P = 0.001) and American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stage (P = 0.013). Patients with IL-18-positive tumors had a better survival rate than patients with IL-18-negative tumors. Moreover, upregulation of IL-18 inhibited colon cancer cell proliferation. Our data suggest that the decreased expression of IL-18 in colon cancer was associated with prognosis and tumor proliferation. IL-18 may be considered a novel tumor suppressor and a potential therapeutic target for colon cancer patients.

