Systematic review of the association between circulating interleukin-6 (IL-6) and cancer.
Heikkilä, Katriina;
Ebrahim, Shah;
Lawlor, Debbie A;
(2008)
Systematic review of the association between circulating interleukin-6 (IL-6) and cancer.
European journal of cancer (Oxford, England, 44 (7).
pp. 937-945.
ISSN 0959-8049
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejca.2008.02.047
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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.