The expression profile of genes encoding tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-6 and their receptor in benign adrenal tumors.

In the process of neoplasia, during which benign adrenal tumors are formed, stimulators of new blood vessel growth as well as growth of tumor cells are cytokines, especially tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin 6 (IL-6). We analyzed the expression profile of genes coding: TNF-α, tumor necrosis factor receptor 1 (TNF-R1), TNF-R2, IL-6, interleukin 6 receptor (IL-6R) in sections of adrenocortical tumor tissue, rated on the Weiss point scale, in patients with clinically diagnosed Conn's and Cushing's syndrome, and the usefulness of determining the examined genes as markers differentiating individual clinical units. There was no correlation between the expression of the examined genes and clinical parameters such as age, BMI or blood pressure, both in the entire study group and in individual subgroups.