Associations Between Cytokine Levels and Long-Term Symptom Development in Head and Neck Cancer Patients

Cytokines have been associated with the development of cancer cachexia. Cytokine dysregulation is thought to cause cachexia and its associated symptoms by negatively affecting physiological homeostasis. Cytokines that have been associated with cachexia are thought to be associated with symptom development. Despite this increased association, there is mixed data regarding the development of symptoms, such as pain, anorexia, and lethargy. The purpose of this retrospective study was to examine the association of cytokine and C-reactive protein levels over time to determine if levels were associated with symptom development.