Prognostic significance of plasma interleukin-6/-8 in pancreatic cancer patients receiving chemoimmunotherapy

AIM: To investigate the association of plasma levels of interleukin(IL)-6 and-8 with Wilms' tumor 1(WT1)-specific immune responses and clinical outcomes in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma(PDA) treated with dendritic cells(DCs) pulsed with three types of major histocompatibility complex classⅠand Ⅱ-restricted WT1 peptides combined with chemotherapy.METHODS: During the entire treatment period, plasma levels of IL-6 and-8 were analyzed by ELISA. The induction of WT1-specific immune responses was assessed using the WT1 peptide-specific delayed-type hypersensitivity(DTH) test.RESULTS: Three of 7 patients displayed strong WT1-DTH reactions throughout long-term vaccination with significantly decreased levels of IL-6/-8 after vaccinations compared with the levels prior to treatment. Moreover, overall survival(OS) was significantly longer in PDA patients with low plasma IL-6 levels(< 2 pg/m L) after 5 vaccinations than in patients with high plasma IL-6 levels(≥ 2 pg/m L)(P = 0.025). After disease progression, WT1-DTH reactions decreased severely and were ultimately negative at the terminal stage of cancer. The decreased levels of IL-6/-8 observed throughout long-term vaccination were associated with WT1-specific DTH reactions and long-term OS.CONCLUSION: Prolonged low levels of plasma IL-6/-8 in PDA patients may be a prognostic marker for the clinical outcomes of chemoimmunotherapy.

Expression of Cyclooxygenase-2 and Transforming Growth Factor-Beta 1 in Patients with the Early Recurrence of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Following Hepatectomy

Background: Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-β1) are modulated in variety cancers including Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, there is a paucity of data concerning their role in the pathologic process of recurrence of HCC following hepatectomy. We herein assessed the role of the hepatic expression of COX-2 and TGF-β as predictors for patients with early recurrence within 2 years of HCC diagnosis. Methods: Sixty patients with HCC who underwent curative hepatectomy between 2000 and 2003 were entered in the present study. The immunoreactivity and distribution patterns of COX-2 and TGF-β1 were examined in both the HCC and the adjacent nonHCC tissues of the liver. Risk factors of tumor recurrence within 2 years, including COX-2 and TGF-β1 expression, were investigated by univariate and multivariate analyses. Results: Among 60 patients, 31 patients had early recurrences within 2 years and 14 patients recurred after 2 years following surgery. Patients with low COX-2 expression in the HCC tissues and adjacent nonHCC tissues had favorable disease-free survival (p = 0.002 and p β1 expression in the nonHCC tissues had also longer disease-free survival (p = 0.045). Based on the expression patterns of COX-2 and TGF-β1, patients with low COX-2 and positive TGF-β1 expression in the nonHCC tissues had favorable overall and disease-free survival (p β1 signaling in nontumor tissues suggested high risk of recurrence and poor survival to the HCC patients following hepatectomy.