Elevated Interleukin-12 Is A Plasma Marker Of Poor Prognosis In Stage III Melanoma Patients

Main Category: Dermatology
Also Included In: Cancer / Oncology
Article Date: 17 Apr 2008 - 4:00 PDT

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New research has established that elevated blood levels of interleukin-12, which rise as we age, independently predicts poor prognosis in patients with melanoma.

Interleukin-12 is a biological therapeutic agent that has been shown to act on the immune system and increase the body's ability to fight disease. It has also previously been shown to interfere with blood flow to the tumors

However, the current study suggests that elevated interleukin-12 may play a role in poor prognosis for melanoma.

"This marker tends to increase with age, which could explain the link between age and poorer prognosis of this type of skin cancer," said lead author Yun S. Chun, M.D., a surgical oncology fellow at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.

Researchers measured blood levels of interleukin-12 in 658 patients. Of these patients, 445 had early stage disease, 150 had mid-stage disease and 63 had late stage disease.

As they predicted, Chun and colleagues found that blood levels of interleukin-12 rose with age. Among patients younger than 40, the average level of interleukin-12 was 75 pg/ml, those aged 40 to 59 had a average level of 84 pg/ml, those from 60 to 79 years had a level of 96 pg/ml and patients older than 80 had an average level of 112 pg/ml.

When researchers estimated risk factors for mortality among patients with melanoma, older age by itself did not predict risk. However, late stage disease and an elevated level of interleukin-12 did predict mortality. Specifically, for patients with late stage disease and an interleukin-12 level above 150 pg/ml, the risk of mortality was four times higher than that for patients with levels of interleukin-12 that were below 150 pg/ml.

"Among patients with melanoma, it is possible that elevated interleukin-12 may be a marker of a tumor promoting, rather than a tumor inhibiting, response," Chun said.

Elevated interleukin-12 is a plasma marker of poor prognosis in stage III melanoma patients
Abstract 5568

This was presented at the 2008 Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research.

The mission of the American Association for Cancer Research is to prevent and cure cancer. Founded in 1907, AACR is the world's oldest and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research. The membership includes nearly 27,000 basic, translational, and clinical researchers; health care professionals; and cancer survivors and advocates in the United States and more than 70 other countries. AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise from the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer through high-quality scientific and educational programs. It funds innovative, meritorious research grants. The AACR Annual Meeting attracts more than 17,000 participants who share the latest discoveries and developments in the field. Special Conferences throughout the year present novel data across a wide variety of topics in cancer research, treatment, and patient care. AACR publishes five major peer-reviewed journals: Cancer Research; Clinical Cancer Research; Molecular Cancer Therapeutics; Molecular Cancer Research; and Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. Its most recent publication and its sixth major journal, Cancer Prevention Research, is the only journal worldwide dedicated exclusively to cancer prevention, from preclinical research to clinical trials. The AACR also publishes CR, a magazine for cancer survivors, patient advocates, their families, physicians, and scientists. CR provides a forum for sharing essential, evidence-based information and perspectives on progress in cancer research, survivorship, and advocacy.

American Association for Cancer Research