Ex vivo interleukin (IL)-1 beta, IL-6, IL-12 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha responsiveness with monocytes from patients with head and neck carcinoma

Seventy newly diagnosed Caucasian male patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HN-SCC) were included in the study. All patients were les s than 80 years of age, with no cachexia or auto-immune disease, and they w ere not taking immuno-active medications. Monocytes from these patients wer e cultured in vitro and supplemented with autologous serum under ex vivo co nditions or cultured with serum-free medium. Comparison was made to monocyt es from 59 patients with benign HN diseases. Similar physical activity leve ls prior to testing as well as a minimum stress load were ensured in both g roups. Increased monocyte supernatant levels were determined under ex vivo conditions of interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumo r necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, but not of interleukin-12 (IL-12) with endot oxin stimulated monocytes of HNSCC patients compared to control conditions. Increased monokine levels were not present with mononuclear cell cultures stimulated with a T-cell general stimulatory agent or with purl fled monocy tes not specifically stimulated. With endotoxin-stimulated monocytes under in vitro conditions, an increased supernatant was shown for TNF-alpha, but not IL-6. With serum from the different patients cultured with monocytes em ployed from a healthy control, no difference between the groups was shown i n the IL-6 and TNF-alpha response to endotoxin stimulation. The differences in IL-1 beta and TNF-alpha, but not IL-6 levels were differentiated statis tically from the smoking and alcohol histories of the patients. These findi ngs suggest that the function of monocytes in general, and thus possibly al l mononuclear phagocyte system cells in HNSCC patients, are altered.