Interleukin-6 (IL-6) plays a major role in the response to injury or
infection and is involved in the immune response,
inflammation, and hematopoiesis. Its deregulation impacts numerous disease states, including many types of
cancer. Consequently, modulating
IL-6 may be an innovative therapeutic strategy in several diseases. A review of relevant published literature regarding
IL-6 and its receptor was performed. In addition, a review of the relevance of this
cytokine system to human illness, particularly in
cancer, was undertaken.
IL-6 is a pleiotropic
cytokine that is involved in the physiology of virtually every organ system. Aberrant expression of this
cytokine has been implicated in diverse human illnesses, most notably inflammatory and autoimmune disorders, coronary artery and neurologic disease, gestational problems, and
neoplasms. In
cancer, high levels of circulating
IL-6 are observed in almost every type of
tumor studied and predict a poor outcome. Furthermore, elevated
IL-6 levels are associated strongly with several of the striking phenotypic features of
cancer. Several molecules have been developed recently that target the
biologic function of
IL-6. Early results in the clinic suggest that this strategy may have a significant salutary impact on diverse
tumors. The field of
cytokine research has yielded a deep understanding of the fundamental role of
IL-6 and its receptor in health and disease. Therapeutic targeting of
IL-6 and its receptor in
cancer has strong
biologic rationale, and there is preliminary evidence suggesting that targeting of the
IL-6 system may be beneficial in the treatment of
cancer.