Gastric Cancer
Copyright ©2006 Baishideng Publishing Group Co., Limited. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Jul 28, 2006; 12(28): 4473-4477
Published online Jul 28, 2006. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v12.i28.4473
Diagnostic role of serum interleukin-18 in gastric cancer patients
Duangporn Thong-Ngam, Pisit Tangkijvanich, Rungsun Lerknimitr, Varocha Mahachai, Apiradee Theamboonlers, Yong Poovorawan
Duangporn Thong-Ngam, Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
Pisit Tangkijvanich, Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
Rungsun Lerknimitr, Varocha Mahachai, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
Apiradee Theamboonlers, Yong Poovorawan, Viral Hepatitis Research Unit, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
Supported by The Thailand Research Fund, No. TRG4680001
Correspondence to: Duangporn Thong-Ngam, MD, Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand. thongngam007@yahoo.com
Telephone: +66-2-2564267 Fax: +66-2-2564267
Received: November 25, 2005
Revised: December 12, 2005
Accepted: January 9, 2006
Published online: July 28, 2006
Abstract

AIM: To determine the current status in various aspects of gastric cancer patients and to find out the clinical correlation with prognostic role of serum interleukins in Thai patients.

METHODS: Sixty-eight patients were enrolled in this study at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital during April 2003 to May 2005. Gastric cancer was histologically proven in 51 patients and gastric ulcer in 17 patients. Serum IL-6, IL-10, IL-12, and IL-18 levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

RESULTS: There were 26 males (55.32%) and 21 females (44.68%) with their age ranging from 33 to 85 years (mean age 64.49 ± 13.83 years). The common presentations were weight loss (41.2%), dyspepsia (39.2%), and upper gastrointestinal bleeding (15.7%). A total of 35.3% gastric cancer patients and 6.3% of gastric ulcer patients were smokers (P = 0.029). Moreover, 32.4% of gastric cancer patients and 6.3% of gastric ulcer patients were alcoholic drinkers (P = 0.044). Lesion location was pyloric-antrum in 39.4%, gastric body in 39.4%, upper stomach in 12.2% and entire stomach in 6.1% of the patients. H pylori infection was detected in 44.4%. The poorly-differentiated adenocarcinoma was the most common pathologic finding (60.7%). Surgical treatment was performed in 44.1% patients (total gastrectomy in 5.9%, subtotal gastrectomy in 32.4% and palliative bypass surgery in 5.9%). Systemic chemotherapy was given as an adjuvant therapy in 8.8% patients. Carcinomatosis peritoneii were found in 18.8% patients. The mean survival time was 13.03 ± 9.75 mo. The IL-18 level in gastric cancer patient group (58.54 ± 43.96 pg/mL) was significantly higher than that in gastric ulcer patient group (30.84 ± 11.18 pg/mL) (P = 0.0001) (95% CI was 42.20, 13.19). The cut point of IL-18 for diagnosis of gastric cancer was 40 pg/mL, the positive predictive value was 92.31%. The IL-6 level in gastric cancer patients with distant metastasis (20.21 ± 9.37 pg/mL) was significantly higher than that in those with no metastasis (10.13 ± 7.83 pg/mL) (P = 0.037) (95% CI was 19.51, 0.65). The role of IL-10 and IL-12 levels in gastric cancer patients was to provide data with no significant difference.

CONCLUSION: These findings demonstrate that serum IL-6 and IL-18, but not IL-10 and IL-12 levels may be the useful biological markers of clinical correlation and prognostic factor in patients with gastric cancer. Moreover, IL-18 could serve as a diagnostic marker for gastric cancer with a high positive predictive value.

Keywords: Interleukin; Gastric cancer; Diagnostic marker