Prognostic Role of Serum Cytokines in Patients with Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

Background: Th1/Th2 cytokine network imbalance plays a major role in cancer development and progression. In this study, we aim to evaluate the relationship between those cytokines and clinical outcome in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Patients and Methods: The concentrations of Th1 cytokines (1L-2, INF-alpha, IFN-gamma) and Th2 cytokines (IL-4, IL-5, IL-10) in the serum were examined by Cytometric Bead Array in a total of 80 nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients pre and post treatment. Associations of those cytokines with clinical pathological factors, treatment response, and overall survival were analyzed. Results: Pretreatment serum levels of IL-2 and INF-alpha were closely associated with overall survival. Compared to patients with low IL-2 expression, those with high expression had less risk of death (hazard ratio (HR) = 0.31, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.13-0.75, p = 0.009). In contrast, INF-alpha showed opposite effects on overall survival in patients with NPC. Patients with high INF-alpha expression had a more than 2-fold increase in risk of death than those with low INF-alpha (HR = 2.66, 95% Cl 1.04-6.78, p = 0.041). All HRs were adjusted for age, sex, stage, histology, and treatment. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed similar survival differences between the 2 groups. Conclusion: Lower serum IL-2 or elevated serum INF-alpha concentrations predict an unfavorable prognosis for patients with NPC.