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

Abstract

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.