CIRCULATING SERUM LEVELS OF CYTOKINES AND ANGIOGENIC FACTORS IN PATIENTS WITH CERVICAL-CANCER

Progression of cervical cancer is associated with excessive circulatin g levels of cytokines, which are known to be modulators of tumor angio genesis. The concentrations of cytokines and growth factors were assay ed using enzyme-linked immunosorbant assays in the serum of 61 women i n various stages of cancer [stage 0 (n = 6), stage I (n = 15), stage I I (n = 15), stage III (n = 15), and stage IV (n = 10)] and of 20 healt hy control subjects. Our results indicated that b-FGF and TNF-beta lev els were significantly elevated in stage I, and serum levels of TGF-be ta and IL-7 were elevated in stages II-IV of invasive carcinoma. Our e xperimental subjects had significantly increased serum levels of lL-6, GM-CSF and angiogenin in stages I-IV of cervical cancel; and TNF-alph a serum levels were elevated in all stages of invasive carcinoma. The serum levels of IL-8 and IL-10 were elevated only in stages II-III and the levels of IL-2 were elevated in stages III-IV. The serum levels o f IL-1 alpha and IL-1 beta remained unaltered in all stages of cancer progression. Progression of cervical cancer is associated with increas ed serum levels of angiogenin, IL-2, IL-6, IL-7, IL-8, IL-10, b-FGF TN F-alpha, TGF-beta, TNF-beta, and GM-CSF during different stages, all o f which have the potential to be angiogenic amplifiers.