Clinical significance of circulating interleukin-23 as a prognostic factor in breast cancer patients

Little is known about specific IL-23 alterations associated with breast cancer and the data available are still controversial. Therefore, the evaluation of changes in serum IL-23 levels may add further information on the role of this cytokine in breast cancer patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate prospectively the prognostic importance of circulating IL-23 in patients with untreated breast cancer, respect to healthy controls, and the association with clinico-pathological variables. The study involved 50 women diagnosed with stages IIV breast cancer and 38 healthy controls. Of the 50 breast cancer patients, 37 women were recruited prior to their initial adjuvant chemotherapy and 13 prior to receive first line chemotherapy for metastatic disease. Adjuvant chemotherapy patients were at least in their 4th week post-surgery. IL-23 serum concentrations were measured by a quantitative enzyme immunoassay technique. We found a statistically significant higher systemic cytokine value in women with cancer in comparison with the control group (14.52 +/- 11.39?pg/ml vs. 6.35 +/- 4.63?pg/ml, P?