PROGNOSTIC VALUE OF CYTOKINE AND SOLUBLE FC-GAMMA RECEPTOR ASSAYS IN ONCOLOGY

The clinical course of a cancer is influenced by the interaction of tu mour cells with the patient's immune system. It is thus conceivable th at immunologicaI parameters may be used as markers of prognostic or pr edictive value. We report here that increased serum levels of IL-6 is a signal of poor prognosis and predicts unresponsiveness to immunother apy in patients with metastatic melanoma. In cervical cancer, IL-6 pro duced by infiltrating macophages is a marker of invasive cancer. In pa tients with multiple myeloma, the plasmatic levels of soluble Fc gamma receptors are markers of the disease, sCD16 being drastically decreas ed and sCD32 being slightly increased.