Interleukin-18 Is a Prognostic Marker and Plays a Tumor Suppressive Role in Colon Cancer

الملخص EN

Interleukin-18 (IL-18) belongs to the IL-1 family and is an essential proinflammatory and immune regulatory cytokine.

The present study was designed to investigate the expression and function of IL-18 in colon cancer.

In clinical analyses, mRNA and protein expressions of IL-18 were decreased in tissues of colon cancer patients.

This decreased expression of IL-18 was significantly correlated with the tumor size (P=0.001) and American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stage (P=0.013).

Patients with IL-18-positive tumors had a better survival rate than patients with IL-18-negative tumors.

Moreover, upregulation of IL-18 inhibited colon cancer cell proliferation.

Our data suggest that the decreased expression of IL-18 in colon cancer was associated with prognosis and tumor proliferation.

IL-18 may be considered a novel tumor suppressor and a potential therapeutic target for colon cancer patients.