Prognostic value of cytokine and soluble Fcγ receptor assays in oncology

The clinical course of a cancer is influenced by the interaction of tumour cells with the patient's immune system. It is thus conceivable that immunological parameters may be used as markers of prognostic or predictive value. We report here that increased serum levels of IL-6 is a signal of poor prognosis and predicts unresponsiveness to immunotherapy in patients with metastatic melanoma. In cervical cancer, IL-6 produced by infiltrating macrophages is a marker of invasive cancer. In patients with multiple myeloma, the plasmatic levels of soluble Fc gamma receptors are markers of the disease, sCD16 being drastically decreased and sCD32 being slightly increased.