The role of IL-1B in breast cancer bone metastasis.

Claudia Tulotta,Penelope Ottewell

doi:10.1530/erc-17-0309

Abstract

Approximately 75% of patients with late-stage breast cancer will develop bone metastasis. This condition is currently considered incurable and patients’ life expectancy is limited to 2–3 years following diagnosis of bone involvement. Interleukin (IL)-1B is a pro-inflammatory cytokine whose expression in primary tumours has been identified as a potential biomarker for predicting breast cancer patients at increased risk for developing bone metastasis. In this review, we discuss how IL-1B from both the tumour cells and the tumour microenvironment influence growth of primary breast tumours, dissemination into the bone metastatic niche and proliferation into overt metastases. Recent evidence indicates that targeting IL-1B signalling may provide promising new treatments that can hold tumour cells in a dormant state within bone thus preventing formation of overt bone metastases.

Highlights

Breast cancer bone metastasis is an incurable disease
Recent evidence from our group has shown that breast cancer cells with increased ability to metastasise in bone (MDA-IV) display higher IL-1B expression, compared to its correspondent parental line, suggesting that IL-1B expression correlates with enhanced metastatic potential (Nutter et al 2014)
We recently showed that IL-1R1 antagonist Anakinra reduces the number of microvessels in sub-cutaneous breast tumours and bone metastases caused by the osteotrophic triple-negative breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231-IV, after both a preventative and treatment strategy (Fig. 3) (Holen et al 2016a)

Summary

Introduction

Breast cancer bone metastasis is an incurable disease. Breast cancer is the most common cause of cancer death in females in Europe and worldwide. Recent evidence from our group has shown that breast cancer cells with increased ability to metastasise in bone (MDA-IV) display higher IL-1B expression, compared to its correspondent parental line, suggesting that IL-1B expression correlates with enhanced metastatic potential (Nutter et al 2014).

Results

Conclusion