Evidence that human serum with high levels of estrogens interferes with immune system both by decreasing CD25 expression on T-cell and by increasing interleukin-2 availability.

Our study aimed to verify whether serum with high estrogen levels, obtained from infertile women who underwent multiple follicular development, was able to interfere with peripheral blood mononuclear cells proliferative response to phytohemoagglutinin +/- interleukin-2, recombinant interleukin-2 alone and phytohemoagglutinin-stimulated CD25 expression. Blood samples from 10 women were collected at the onset (low estrogen doses), during multiple follicular development (intermediate estrogen doses), and on the day preceding the human chorionic gonadotropin administration (high estrogen doses). Serum with high estrogen doses reduced the proliferative response to phytohemoagglutinin alone and plus recombinant interleukin-2, while increased the proliferative response to recombinant interleukin-2 alone, and reduced the CD25 expression in nonblastic and total lymphocytes.

Interleukin-6 and leptin as markers of energy metabolic changes in advanced ovarian cancer patients.

The progression of the neoplastic disease is characterized by specific alterations of energy metabolism and by symptoms like fatigue, anorexia, nausea, anaemia, immunodepression and poor performance status (PS). The main cause of these symptoms and metabolic abnormalities is the chronic action of proinflammatory cytokines released both by tumour and immune cells. The present study aimed to assess the relationship between markers of inflammation (C-Reactive Protein, Fibrinogen, proinflammatory cytokines) and energy metabolic status (BMI, leptin, oxidative stress) according to clinical parameters in 104 ovarian cancer patients at different stage and, moreover, to evaluate prospectively the changes of these parameters in accordance to tumour response in a subgroup of 70 advanced stage ovarian cancer patients.

Hemoglobin levels correlate with interleukin-6 levels in patients with advanced untreated epithelial ovarian cancer: role of inflammation in cancer-related anemia.

Anemia occurs in more than 30% of patients with epithelial ovarian cancer before any surgery. High levels of proinflammatory cytokines and increased oxidative stress may contribute to the development of cancer-related anemia. We assessed a population of previously untreated patients with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer to evaluate whether there was a correlation between hemoglobin (Hb) and parameters of inflammation and oxidative stress, stage of disease, and performance status (PS).