Colorectal cancer (CRC) is currently one of the three most frequent malignancies in Western industrial nations.
Although the 5-year survival rate for patients with early stage and local CRC approaches nearly 90%, survival is dramatically decreased by local recurrence and the development of distant metastases that primarily affect the liver, which are the predominant cause of CRC-related mortality.
Although IL-8 expression has been recently correlated with the tumorpathology of various carcinoma types, the role of IL-8 in tumor development and metastasis is still not fully understood and often discussed controversially. Moreover, it remains unclear whether IL-8 expression is related to cancer progression and metastatic potential in colorectal carcinoma tissues.
This issue was addressed by Dr. Rubie and colleagues from the University of the Saarland, Germany. The investigators report on a potential role of IL-8 in the development and metastatic spread of colorectal cancer in the October 7 issue of the World Journal of Gastroenterology.
The article investigates the expression profile of IL-8 in inflammatory (ulcerative colitis), non-malignant (colorectal adenoma) and CRC tissues of different tumor stages as well as in colorectal liver metastases (CRLM) along with their related primary colorectal tumors.