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Role of Cytokines in Cancer

A special issue of Cancers (ISSN 2072-6694). This special issue belongs to the section "Tumor Microenvironment".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2025 | Viewed by 2286

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
1. Department of Biological Sciences, Tennessee State University, Nashville, TN 37209, USA
2. Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37209, USA
Interests: biomarkers; solid-organ transplantation; inflammatory cytokines; cancer immunology; advanced drug delivery
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the past two decades, there has been an expansion in the understanding of the role of chronic inflammation in tumorigenesis. Infiltrating inflammatory cells in the tumor microenvironment secrete a wide array of cytokines, which play a critical role in various aspects of carcinogenesis. Cytokines, upon binding with their specific receptors on the immune and tumor cells, trigger oncogenic signaling pathways, which impact various aspects of cancer progression and metastasis. An in-depth understanding of these pathways offers avenues for multiple clinical applications, varying from diagnostics to drug discovery. Advances in technologies such as next-generation sequencing, CyTOF and liquid biopsy offer an enhanced understanding of the tumor microenvironment. In this Special Issue, entitled "Role of Cytokines in Cancer", authors are invited to contribute original research papers or review that provide critical insights into the role of cytokines in molecular events leading to the development and progression of cancer.

Dr. Venkataswarup Tiriveedhi
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • inflammation
  • tumor microenvironment
  • cytokines

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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22 pages, 3673 KiB  
Article
Correlation of Immunomodulatory Cytokines with Tumor Volume and Cerebrospinal Fluid in Vestibular Schwannoma Patients
by Anna-Louisa Becker, Leila Scholle, Clara Helene Klause, Martin Sebastian Staege, Christian Strauss, Markus Otto, Stefan Rampp, Christian Scheller and Sandra Leisz
Cancers 2024, 16(17), 3002; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers16173002 - 29 Aug 2024
Viewed by 718
Abstract
Sporadic vestibular schwannomas (VSs) often exhibit slow or negligible growth. Nevertheless, some VSs increase significantly in volume within a few months or grow continuously. Recent evidence indicates a role of inflammation in promoting VS growth. Therefore, our study aimed to identify cytokines, which [...] Read more.
Sporadic vestibular schwannomas (VSs) often exhibit slow or negligible growth. Nevertheless, some VSs increase significantly in volume within a few months or grow continuously. Recent evidence indicates a role of inflammation in promoting VS growth. Therefore, our study aimed to identify cytokines, which are associated with larger VSs. The expression of different cytokines in VS tumor samples and VS primary cultures was investigated. Additionally, the concentration of cytokines in cell culture supernatants of VS primary cultures and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of VS patients and healthy controls were determined. Correlation analysis of cytokine levels with tumor volume, growth rate, Koos grade, age, and hearing was examined with Spearman’s-rank test. The mRNA expression of CC-chemokine ligand (CCL) 18, growth differentiation factor (GDF) 15, and interferon regulatory factor 4 correlated positively with tumor volume. Moreover, the amount of GDF15 in the cell culture supernatant of primary cells correlated positively with tumor volume. The concentrations of the cytokines CCL2, CCL5, and CCL18 and transforming growth factor beta (TGFB) 1 in the CSF of the patients were significantly different from those in the CSF controls. Inhibition of immune cell infiltration could be a putative approach to prevent and control VS growth. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Role of Cytokines in Cancer)
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Figure 1

Figure 1
<p>Workflow of the study. Of the 232 patients in the database, not all bio-material was available from each patient. In 176 patients, at least mRNA, primary culture, or CSF was present. mRNA analysis was obtained for 144 tumor samples, correlation with tumor volume could be obtained in 124 samples, and correlation with growth rate was found in 31 tumor samples. Quantification of cytokines in cell culture supernatants (CCSs) of primary cultures was performed in 45 samples, correlation with tumor volume was possible in 40 samples, and correlation with growth rate was possible in 12 samples. Concentration analysis of cytokines in CSF was feasible in 52 samples, whereby a correlation with tumor volume in 49 samples and a correlation with growth rate in 12 samples was obtained. Abbreviations: CSF, cerebrospinal fluid; MRI, magnetic resonance imaging; NF2, NF2-related schwannomatosis; qPCR, quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction; VS, vestibular schwannoma.</p>
Full article ">Figure 2
<p>Correlation analysis of the indicated markers and clinical parameters in 144 VS tumor samples using Spearman’s rank test. Depicted is the correlation between the mRNA levels of the 10 examined markers and age as well as Koos grade of 144 patients, and the correlation of marker levels with hearing class in 143 patients and with tumor volume in 124 patients. The correlation coefficient r is shown. Significant negative correlations (<span class="html-italic">p</span> &lt; 0.05) are plotted in red and significant positive correlations (<span class="html-italic">p</span> &lt; 0.05) in blue. Non-significant correlations are plotted uncolored. <span class="html-italic">p</span>-values of correlations were FDR-corrected for multiple comparisons.</p>
Full article ">Figure 3
<p>Box-plots of the studied markers in 20 small and 20 large VSs. The box represents the values from the first to the third quartile. The whiskers from the box extend to 1.5 times the interquartile range. <span class="html-italic">p</span>-values from non-parametric Wilcoxon signed-rank test are presented.</p>
Full article ">Figure 4
<p>The transcripts per million (TPM) of the indicated genes in 10 tumor samples and the 10 corresponding samples of vestibular nerves are shown. The TPM of the tumor is connected to the TPM of the corresponding nerve from the same patient by a line. The mRNA in the tumors was compared with the mRNA in the nerves using a Wilcoxon matched-paired signed rank test. The corresponding <span class="html-italic">p</span>-values are presented.</p>
Full article ">Figure 5
<p>Concentrations of the investigated cytokines in the CCS of 45 primary cultures from patients with sporadic VSs. The borders of the box range from the 25th to 75th percentiles, and outliers are visualized as dots. The median is represented by the crossbar.</p>
Full article ">Figure 6
<p>Correlation analysis of primary culture mRNA levels (with suffix qPCR) and concentration (with suffix ELISA) of various cytokines. Illustrated is the correlation of the mRNA levels and concentration of the investigated markers with one another, with age, hearing class, and Koos grade in 45 patients and with tumor volume in 44 patients. The correlation coefficient r is displayed in each panel. Areas plotted blue (<span class="html-italic">p</span> &lt; 0.05) indicate significant positive correlations. Non-significant correlations are plotted uncolored. <span class="html-italic">p</span>-values of correlations were FDR-corrected for multiple comparisons.</p>
Full article ">Figure 7
<p>The concentration of the cytokines CCL2, CCL5, CCL18, GDF15, and TGFB1 in the CSF of a control group (n = 14) was compared with the concentration in the CSF of 52 patients, as well as with the concentration in the CSF of the 20 largest and 20 smallest VSs. A Wilcoxon signed-rank test was performed to compare the groups. The median concentration is marked by the crossbar. The boundaries of the boxes represent the interquartile range, and the whiskers represent 1.5 times the interquartile range. Outliers are presented as dots. <span class="html-italic">p</span>-values of correlations were FDR-corrected for multiple comparisons.</p>
Full article ">Figure 8
<p>Illustrated is the correlation of the concentration of CCL2, CCL5, CCL18, TGFB1, and GDF15 in the CSF of 52 patients with clinical parameters, such as age, hearing class, Koos grade, and tumor volume, as well as the correlation of the concentration of the five cytokines in the CSF of 12 patients with growth rate and relative growth rate. Spearman’s r is plotted for each correlation. Significant positive correlations (<span class="html-italic">p</span> &lt; 0.05) are colored blue, and significant negative correlations are colored red. Non-significant correlations are plotted colorless. <span class="html-italic">p</span>-values of correlations were FDR-corrected for multiple comparisons.</p>
Full article ">
11 pages, 1075 KiB  
Article
Lymphocyte Function at Baseline Could Be a New Predictor of Tumor Burden following Six Cycles of Radium-223 Therapy in Patients with Metastasized, Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer
by Vahé Barsegian, Daniel Möckel, Sebastian Buehler, Stefan P. Müller, Michael C. Kreissl, Patrick Ostheim, Peter A. Horn and Monika Lindemann
Cancers 2024, 16(5), 886; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers16050886 - 22 Feb 2024
Viewed by 1139
Abstract
Previous data indicate that one cycle of treatment with radium-223 (223Ra) did not significantly impair lymphocyte function in patients with metastasized, castration-resistant prostate cancer. The aim of the current study was to assess in 21 patients whether six cycles of this [...] Read more.
Previous data indicate that one cycle of treatment with radium-223 (223Ra) did not significantly impair lymphocyte function in patients with metastasized, castration-resistant prostate cancer. The aim of the current study was to assess in 21 patients whether six cycles of this therapy had an effect on lymphocyte proliferation and interferon-γ and interleukin (IL)-10 ELISpot results. Lymphocyte proliferation after stimulation with microbial antigens and the production of interferon-γ continuously decreased after six cycles of radionuclide therapy, reaching statistical significance (p < 0.05) at months 1, 2, 4, and/or 6 after therapy. One month after the last cycle of therapy, 67% of patients showed a decrease in tumor burden. The tumor burden correlated negatively with IL-10 secretion at baseline, e.g., after stimulation with tetanus antigen (p < 0.0001, r = −0.82). As determined by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, tetanus-specific IL-10 spots at baseline had the highest predictive value (p = 0.005) for tumor burden at month 6, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.90 (sensitivity 100%, specificity 78%). In conclusion, we observed an additive effect of treatment with 223Ra on immune function and found that IL-10 secretion at baseline predicted tumor burden at month 6 after treatment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Role of Cytokines in Cancer)
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Figure 1

Figure 1
<p>Cellular in vitro immune responses, blood cell counts, and hemoglobin concentrations in 21 patients with metastasized prostate cancer receiving radium-223 therapy. Data represent the mean and standard error of the mean (SEM), either pre-therapy (month 0, white bars) or at months (M) 1 to 6 post-therapy. Panels (<b>a</b>,<b>b</b>) indicate proliferative responses (lymphocyte transformation test, LTT), panels (<b>c</b>–<b>f</b>) ELISpot results (spots per culture), and panel (<b>g</b>,<b>h</b>) blood cell counts and hemoglobin (cell number and concentration (<b>g</b>) and percentage of patients with values below local reference values (<b>h</b>), respectively). In none of the patients, leukocyte numbers were below the normal range prior to therapy. Data at various time points were analyzed by One-way ANOVA, applying a mixed-effects model, and <span class="html-italic">p</span> values were corrected for multiple comparisons, using Dunnett’s post-hoc test (* <span class="html-italic">p</span> &lt; 0.05, ** <span class="html-italic">p</span> &lt; 0.01, *** <span class="html-italic">p</span> &lt; 0.001). CPM, counts per minute; Aut., autologous (negative control); PHA, phythohemagglutinin; ConA, concanavalin A; PWM, pokeweed mitogen (used also as a positive control for the LTT antigen); OKT3, anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody; PPD, purified protein derivate (tuberculin); CAN, <span class="html-italic">Candida albicans</span>; HSV-1, Herpes simplex virus type 1; TET, tetanus toxoid; IFN, interferon; IL, interleukin; PBMC, peripheral blood mononuclear cells; Leuko, leukocytes per nL heparinized blood; Thrombo, thrombocytes per nL; Ery, erythrocytes per pL (= million per µL); Hb, hemoglobin concentration (mmol/L).</p>
Full article ">Figure 2
<p>Correlation between tumor burden at month 6 after therapy with radium-223 and IL-10 ELISpot results at baseline in patients with metastasized prostate cancer. The tumor burden was quantified by the Bone Scan Index. Data on IL-10 ELISpot results were considered after stimulation with the antigens tuberculin (purified protein derivate, PPD, <span class="html-italic">n</span> = 17 data pairs), tetanus toxoid (TET, <span class="html-italic">n</span> = 17) and <span class="html-italic">Candida albicans</span> (CAN, <span class="html-italic">n</span> = 16). Panel (<b>a</b>) indicates the results of a Spearman correlation analysis and panels (<b>b</b>–<b>d</b>) a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. LR, likelihood ratio; AUC, Area under curve.</p>
Full article ">
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