Systematic review of the association between circulating interleukin-6 (IL-6) and cancer
Abstract
Our aim was to systematically review the epidemiologic evidence for an association of circulating interleukin-6 (IL-6), an inflammatory cytokine and cancer. We systematically searched electronic databases Embase, Medline and Web of Science for the studies of circulating IL-6 and any form of cancer. We identified and reviewed 189 discrete studies, consisting of 177 prevalent studies and three prospective studies. Cancer patients' IL-6 concentrations were higher than healthy controls' in most studies, but the results of investigations comparing IL-6 in cancer patients and individuals with benign diseases were less consistent. Due to the small number of prospective studies it is impossible to determine whether IL-6 is causally related to cancer. Large prospective studies of circulating IL-6 or studies using the functional variants of the IL-6 gene as instruments for circulating IL-6 concentrations would provide information on possible aetiological links between IL-6 and malignancy.
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Persistent inflammation can initiate or promote malignant progression, and a pro-tumorigenic role of IL-6 has been suggested.
“Persistent inflammation can initiate or promote (Grivennikov and Karin, 2011) malignant progression and a pro-tumorigenic role of IL-6, which is elevated in many types of cancer, has been suggested (Heikkila et al., 2008).”
From Model Based Targeting of IL-6-Induced Inflammatory Responses in Cultured Primary Hepatocytes to Improve Application of the JAK Inhibitor Ruxolitinib (2017) · cites this paper as Heikkila et al., 2008
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Inflammation: The Common Pathway of Stress-Related Diseases
Liu, Y.-Z., Wang, Y.-X., & Jiang, C.-L. (2017) · Frontiers in Human Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnhum.2017.00316 · Cited by 800 · see citing works
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IL6 Signaling in Peripheral Blood T Cells Predicts Clinical Outcome in Breast Cancer
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“Persistent inflammation can initiate or promote (Grivennikov and Karin, 2011) malignant progression and a pro-tumorigenic role of IL-6, which is elevated in many types of cancer, has been suggested (Heikkila et al., 2008).”
BackgroundGene expression markers of age-related inflammation in two human cohorts
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- Authors
- Heikkilä, K., Ebrahim, S., & Lawlor, D. A.
- Affiliations
- University of Bristol (GB)
- London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Lawlor, Debbie A.
- Venue
- European Journal of Cancer
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2008-05
- Volume
- 44
- Issue
- 7
- Pages
- 937-945
- ISSN
- 0959-8049 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W1971636277
- Cited by
- 232
- References
- 5
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 15 · 2021: 20 · 2020: 12 · 2019: 22 · 2018: 13 · 2017: 10 · 2016: 17 · 2015: 18 · 2014: 18 · 2013: 8 · 2012: 15
- FWCI
- 1.28
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- European Journal of Cancer (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Oncology › Cytokine Signaling Pathways and Interactions
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Oncology › Inflammatory Biomarkers in Disease Prognosis
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Oncology › Cancer Risks and Factors
- Keywords
- interleukin-6, cancer, inflammatory cytokines, cancer risk, causal relationship
- MeSH terms
- Epidemiologic Methods, Humans, Inflammation, Neoplasms, Interleukin-6
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