Introduction: Colorectal cancer represents a major cause of mortality and morbidity and occupies the third place as cancer incidence and the fourth place as cancer mortality. Colorectal cancer causes 608 000 deaths per year, despite correct applied treatment (surgery and chemotherapy). Interleukin 8 (IL-8) is an important proinflammatory cytokine with an important role in leukocyte chemoattraction. IL-8 also represents an important tumorigenic and proangiogenic factor.
Materials and methods: We have studied 68 patients aged between 55 and 70 years, hospitalized in the IInd Surgery Clinic of the Emergency County Hospital of Craiova, Romania. According to TNM grading, the patients were in stages II, III and IV. From these patients, we have prelevated two types of samples: serum and tumor fragment.
Results: IL-8 values were significantly increased, both in serum and tumor supernatant. The highest IL-8 values were found in tumor supernatant and in advanced stages; IL-8 increased values were correlated with tumor growth and TNM stage.
Conclusions: IL-8 has an important role in colorectal cancer growth and metastasis and represents an important therapeutic target in this type of cancer. IL-8 represents also a predictor for colorectal cancer prognosis.