Effect of serum interleukin-1 receptor antagonist level on survival of patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

Due to poor prognosis in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), new effective markers are required in the monitoring of the disease. The present study aimed to investigate the association between the serum IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) level, overall survival (OS), and treatment response in NSCLC, and to evaluate the usefulness of the serum IL-1Ra level as a prognostic marker for NSCLC. Eighty patients (72 men and 8 women) and 40 healthy volunteers (13 men and 27 women) were included in the present study. The median progression-free survival was 16 weeks for patients with high serum IL-1Ra levels, and 35 weeks for patients with low serum IL-1Ra levels (P=0.027). The median OS was 38 weeks in patients with a high serum IL-1Ra level, and 62 weeks in patients with a low serum IL-1Ra level (P=0.065). The results of the present study have demonstrated that there was a significant correlation between IL-1Ra levels and NSCLC progression and survival, although the correlation between IL-1Ra levels and the response to treatment was not statistically significant. Therefore, the pre-treatment IL-1Ra level has been identified as a putative prognostic factor for NSCLC.