Nine soluble ligands, including interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-11 (IL-11), share the glycoprotein-130 (gp130) receptor, forming the IL-6 family of cytokines.
Several members of this family, such as cardiotrophin-1 (CT-1) and leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), may play key roles in cancer development.
Understanding these cytokines and their pathways could lead to targeted therapies that either inhibit or enhance their activity, potentially improving cancer treatment outcomes.