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Surgery Today
Published in: Surgery Today 4/2017

01-04-2017 | Original Article

High serum levels of interleukin-6 in patients with advanced or metastatic colorectal cancer: the effect on the outcome and the response to chemotherapy plus bevacizumab

Authors: Masayasu Hara, Takaya Nagasaki, Kazuyoshi Shiga, Hiroki Takahashi, Hiromitsu Takeyama

Published in: Surgery Today | Issue 4/2017

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Abstract

Purpose

We evaluated the relationship of the pretreatment serum IL-6 levels with the outcome and treatment response in patients with advanced or metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) who underwent bevacizumab-containing chemotherapy.

Methods

In this retrospective study, the pretreatment serum IL-6 and plasma vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels were measured in 113 patients with metastatic CRC. The cut-off values for these measurements, as determined by a receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, were 4.3 and 66 pg/mL, respectively. The median follow-up period was 19 months (range 1–40 months). Sixty-three patients had primary cancer, and 38 had a metachronous recurrence. Thirty patients underwent curative resection, and 71 underwent chemotherapy, 53 of whom received bevacizumab-containing chemotherapy. Overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were estimated using Kaplan–Meier and multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analyses.

Results

The plasma VEGF levels and positive KRAS mutation status were not associated with the outcomes. However, high serum IL-6 levels were significantly associated with poorer OS and PFS in comparison to low serum IL-6 levels. A Cox proportional hazards regression analysis showed that high serum IL-6 levels were an independent risk factor for a poor outcome.

Conclusion

In patients with metastatic CRC, high pretreatment serum IL-6 levels were associated with a poor outcome and bevacizumab resistance.
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Metadata
Title
High serum levels of interleukin-6 in patients with advanced or metastatic colorectal cancer: the effect on the outcome and the response to chemotherapy plus bevacizumab
Authors
Masayasu Hara
Takaya Nagasaki
Kazuyoshi Shiga
Hiroki Takahashi
Hiromitsu Takeyama
Publication date
01-04-2017
Publisher
Springer Japan
Published in
Surgery Today / Issue 4/2017
Print ISSN: 0941-1291
Electronic ISSN: 1436-2813
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00595-016-1404-7

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