QUANTIPICATION OF SERUM lL-6 AND IL.12 LlvELS AMQNG BREAST CANCER PATIENTS

Abstract

The high incidence ofbreast cancer in women and the severity of the disease have stimulated a need for further studies and improvements of investigations and therapy.

Epidemiologically, breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in female gender (98 - 99%) occurring in females [Ries et al, 1999].

Cytokines are a group of intercellular short acting mediators between immune cells of the immune system as well as other non immune cells. Most of them are peptides or glycoproteins with molecular weight (6000 -600000) [Oppenheim and Ruscetti, 1997].

Cytokines are not usually present in the serum and generally it act by autocrine, paracrine or endocrine effects. Cytokines play a pivotal roles in the function of a variety of cells, but are of particular interest to immunologists because their importance in immune regulation [Shea et al, 2001].

Recent studies indicate that IL-6 and IL-12 are a multifunctional cytokines used in regulation of immune response and cancer cell proliferation [Radach and Hynes, 2001] and [Lafleur et al, 2001].

Therefore, our study was planed to quantify serum levels of these interleukins in breast cancer patients and its correlation with clinicopathological variables including stages, estrogn and progesterone receptor expression on tumor cells.