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Increased Serum Interleukin-8 in Patients with Early and Metastatic Breast Cancer Correlates with Early Dissemination and Survival

¹ Translational Cancer Research Group Antwerp, University of Antwerp, General Hospital Sint-Augustinus, Wilrijk, Belgium; and ² Medical Biochemistry, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium

Purpose: The prognostic significance of serum interleukin (IL)-8 was evaluated in patients with metastatic breast cancer. The predictive value of serum IL-8 for the presence of occult metastatic tumor cells in bone marrow aspirates was evaluated in patients with operable and metastatic breast cancer.

Experimental Design: Serum IL-8 was measured in healthy controls, patients with operable breast cancer, and patients with untreated, progressive metastatic breast cancer. In 69 patients with either operable or advanced breast cancer, occult cytokeratin-positive cells were counted in bone marrow aspirates.

Results: Serum IL-8 levels are increased in 67% (52 of 77) of patients with advanced breast cancer. Overall, these levels are significantly higher in patients with breast cancer compared with healthy volunteers (P < 0.001). The IL-8 levels increase significantly in patients with more advanced disease. An elevated serum IL-8 is related to an accelerated clinical course, a higher tumor load, and the presence of liver or lymph node involvement. A multivariate analysis indicates that serum IL-8 is an independent significant factor for postrelapse survival. There was a significant difference between serum IL-8 levels in patients with or without occult cytokeratin-positive bone marrow cells (P < 0.04). Serum IL-8 levels also showed an association with the number of these cells (P < 0.01).

Conclusions: Serum IL-8 is increased in patients with breast cancer and has an independent prognostic significance for postrelapse survival. The observations on the relationship between occult cytokeratin-positive bone marrow cells corroborate the concept of IL-8 acting as a contributor to the process of tumor cell dissemination. Similarly, the relationship between serum IL-8 and nodal stage at presentation deserves further study. These results further expand the concept that inflammation and inflammatory cytokines are critical components of tumor progression.

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