Interleukin-6 and use of social support in gynecologic cancer patients

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is related to disease progression in ovarian and cervi cal cancers and is associated with abnormal endometrial cell growth. IM is also involved in the stress response and depression. We examined relationsh ips among distress, use of social support, IL-6, clinical status, and disab ility in gynecologic cancer patients. A sample of 21 gynecologic cancer pat ients with early stage or regionally advanced disease who had not yet recei ved initial treatment and 33 healthy controls completed psychosocial assess ments and had early morning blood draws. This was done presurgery for patie nts. Clinical and functional status of patients was assessed at 1 year. IL- 6 was significantly higher among patients than among controls. Among patien ts, seeking instrumental support at diagnosis was associated with lower con current IL-6, better clinical status, and less disability at 1 year. Distre ss was not correlated with these outcome measures, and IM did not mediate t he effects of social support on these outcomes. These findings suggest that the ways patients cope with stress of cancer may be associated with a cyto kine that is involved in tumor progression in gynecologic cancers and with clinical variables at 1 year.