IL-6 promotes malignant growth of skin SCCs by regulating a network of autocrine and paracrine cytokines.

Cytokines play a crucial role in tumor initiation and progression. Here, we demonstrate that interleukin (IL)-6 is a key factor by driving tumor progression from benign to malignant, invasive tumors in the HaCaT-model of human skin carcinoma. IL-6 activates STAT3 and directly stimulates proliferation and migration of the benign noninvasive HaCaT-ras A-5 cells in vitro.