Table 1.
Cytokines are overexpressed in breast cancer
| Biological markers | Median protein (range; fg/μg) | P | |
| Cancer (n = 105) | Healthy breast (n = 13) | ||
| IL-1β | 2.7 (0–260) | 0 | < 0.0001 |
| IL-2 | 1.2 (0–42.6) | 0 | < 0.0001 |
| IL-4 | 1.7 (0–99.6) | 0 | < 0.0001 |
| IL-5 | 0 | 0 | |
| IL-6 | 17.2 (4.4–26,487) | 1.2 (0–52.5) | < 0.0001 |
| IL-7 | 0.7 (0–8.5) | 1.1 (0.7–16.9) | 0.047 |
| IL-8 | 68.1 (0–15,890) | 1 (0–78.5) | < 0.0001 |
| IL-10 | 0.3 (0–5.6) | 0 | < 0.0001 |
| IL-12 (p70) | 2.3 (0–19.3) | 1.4 (0.5–20.4) | 0.005 |
| IL-13 | 4.2 (1.6–394) | 1.9 (1.2–21.6) | < 0.0001 |
| IL-17 | 0 | 0 | |
| G-CSF | 18.7 (5.3–110) | 0 (0–49.2) | < 0.0001 |
| GM-CSF | 0 | 0 | |
| IFN-γ | 27.6 (15.5–1,279) | 16.6 (13.6–187) | < 0.0001 |
| MCP-1 | 121 (0–37117) | 1.9 (0–45.9) | < 0.0001 |
| MIP-1β | 559 (42.6–14,439) | 8.3 (5.0–142) | < 0.0001 |
| TNF-α | 7.2 (5.8–121) | 1.6 (1.3–23.2) | < 0.0001 |
G-CSF, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor; GM-CSF, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor; IL, interleukin; IFN, interferon; MCP, monocyte chemoattractant protein; MIP, macrophage inflammatory protein; TNF, tumour necrosis factor.