Eissa Soheir A L, Zaki Samar A, El-Maghraby Shereen M, Kadry Dalia Y
Department of Clinical Pathology, National Cancer Institute, Cairo University, Cairo.
J Egypt Natl Canc Inst. 2005 Mar;17(1):51-5.
Interleukin-18 (IL-18), a cytokine that plays an important role in the T-cell-helper response, acts as an angiogenic factor and a tumor suppressor. RANTES (regulated upon activation normal T-cells expressed and secreted) is a member of the C-C chemokine family with chemoattractant activity for a variety of cell types. High incidence and intensity of RANTES were noted in advanced breast carcinoma.
To correlate the levels of RANTES and IL-18 in serum of breast cancer patients with bone or other organ metastasis compared to breast cancer patients without metastasis and healthy controls and to estimate the role of each of them as a prognostic marker for the progression of the disease.
The study was conducted on 60 breast cancer patients (25 cases with no metastasis and 35 cases with metastasis) who were admitted to the outpatient clinic of the NCI, Cairo University during the period from March 2004 to September 2004 and 30 apparently healthy controls who were volunteers at the blood bank of the NCI, Cairo University.
Showed that there was a statistically significant difference between the level of IL-18 in breast cancer patients without metastasis and the control group (p<0.05) while there was a highly significant difference between the metastatic group and the control group (p<0.001). There was a significant increase in IL-18 levels between metastatic and non-metastatic cases (p<0.01). RANTES showed a significant increase in breast cancer cases with no metastasis and the control group (p<0.05) and it showed a highly significant increase in metastatic patients compared to controls (p<0.001). There was no significant increase in the level of RANTES in metastatic compared to non-metastatic patients (p>0.05).
IL-18 is an important non invasive marker suspecting metastasis. Even though RANTES levels were higher in cancer patients compared to controls, its role in staging of breast cancer was not clear in this study.
白细胞介素-18（IL-18）是一种在T细胞辅助反应中起重要作用的细胞因子，它可作为血管生成因子和肿瘤抑制因子。调节激活正常T细胞表达和分泌因子（RANTES）是C-C趋化因子家族的成员，对多种细胞类型具有趋化活性。在晚期乳腺癌中观察到RANTES的高发生率和高强度。
比较有骨或其他器官转移的乳腺癌患者与无转移的乳腺癌患者及健康对照者血清中RANTES和IL-18的水平，并评估它们各自作为疾病进展预后标志物的作用。
该研究对2004年3月至2004年9月期间在开罗大学国家癌症研究所门诊就诊的60例乳腺癌患者（25例无转移，35例有转移）以及30例在开罗大学国家癌症研究所血库自愿参与的明显健康对照者进行。
显示无转移乳腺癌患者的IL-18水平与对照组之间存在统计学显著差异（p<0.05），而转移组与对照组之间存在高度显著差异（p<0.001）。转移和非转移病例之间IL-18水平有显著升高（p<0.01）。RANTES在无转移乳腺癌病例与对照组之间有显著升高（p<0.05），与对照组相比，转移患者中RANTES有高度显著升高（p<0.001）。与非转移患者相比，转移患者中RANTES水平无显著升高（p>0.05）。
IL-18是怀疑转移的重要非侵入性标志物。尽管癌症患者的RANTES水平高于对照组，但在本研究中其在乳腺癌分期中的作用尚不清楚。
