Advanced Colorectal Cancer Is Associated With Enhanced IL-23 and IL-10 Serum Levels

Objective: Cytokines play a pivotal role in the induction of host immune responses against tumor growth and are involved in the development and progression of colorectal cancer in humans. Methods., A group of 48 patients and 27 healthy volunteers were included in the study. The quantitative determination of IL-23, IL-17, IL-10, and IFN-alpha serum levels were performed by ELISA. Results: We observed significantly enhanced IL-23 in CRC patients compared to the controls. The serum level of IL-10 was significantly higher in CRC patients than healthy donors. The highest level of IL-10 was detected in patients with stage IV, which was significantly greater than those in stages I, II, and III. Conclusions: We found that IL-23 and IL-10 levels were significantly elevated in patients' sera, in contrast to IL-17 and IFN-alpha, and this serum cytokine profile may play a role in tumor development. In addition, an increased level of IL-10 was strongly associated with the progression of colorectal carcinoma (CRC).