Plasma levels of IL-6 and TNF-α in patients with esophageal cancer

Aim: Cytokines are multifunctional polypeptides synthesized in various cell types. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) are cytokines that have important roles in cancer pathogenesis. In this study, we investigated the plasma levels of IL-6 and TNF-alpha in patients with esophageal cancer. Materials and methods: Forty-three esophageal cancer patients (24 females and 19 males) who were newly diagnosed and had not yet undergone operation participated in the study. The patients' average age was 61.03 +/- 12.4 years. The control group, on the other hand, comprised 43 healthy individuals (22 males and 21 females) with an average age of 56 +/- 11.3. Forty-one (95.3%) of the patients had symptoms of dysphagia. The second leading symptom was weight loss, experienced by 32 (74.4%) of the patients. The cancer of 5 (11.6%) of the patients advanced in stage and had distant metastases (2 involving the lung and 3 involving the liver) at presentation. TNF-alpha (TNF-alpha-EASIA Kit, DIAsource) and IL-6 (IL-6-EASIA Kit, DIAsource) were studied using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method. Results: The measured TNF-alpha plasma levels of the patients and the control group were 12.35 +/- 9.69 and 4.62 +/- 3.06 pg/mL, respectively (P < 0.0001). The average TNF-alpha plasma levels of the patients with and without weight loss were 14.95 +/- 9.96 and 4.77 +/- 3.12 pg/mL, respectively (P = 0.044). The average IL-6 plasma level of the esophageal cancer patients was 60.30 +/- 53.15 pg/mL, and the average IL-6 plasma level of the control group was 6.00 +/- 3.26 pg/mL (P < 0.0001). The average IL-6 levels of the patients with and without weight loss were 65.22 +/- 43.27 and 12.37 +/- 6.80 pg/mL, respectively (P < 0.0001). There was no statistically significant difference in the IL-6 and TNF-alpha plasma levels of the patients with and without distant metastasis. Conclusion: The results show that IL-6 and TNF-alpha plasma levels may be utilized as tumor markers for the diagnosis of esophageal cancer. However, to definitely conclude this, we need further extensive studies.