Prognostic value of serum IL-17 and VEGF levels in small cell lung cancer.

Abstract

To explore the prognostic value of serum interleukin-17 (IL-17) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels in patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC). IL-17 and VEGF levels were determined by a commercially available ELISA method. Serum IL-17 and VEGF levels were higher in the SCLC group than the control group (p<0.001 and p<0.0001, respectively). In addition, there was a significant correlation between IL-17 and VEGF. The level of IL-17 showed significant correlations with tumor stage and tumor metastasis, while serum VEGF levels were significantly associated only with tumor metastasis. Univariate and multivariate analysis indicated that an elevated IL-17 level was an independent prognostic factor for shorter overall survival in SCLC. IL-17 may play an important role in tumor dissemination in SCLC patients and measurement of IL-17 could have useful prognostic value for worse overall survival in patients with SCLC.