Frontiers in Oncology (Jul 2022)

IL-6: The Link Between Inflammation, Immunity and Breast Cancer

  • Juan Chen,
  • Yanghui Wei,
  • Weiqin Yang,
  • Qingnan Huang,
  • Yong Chen,
  • Kai Zeng,
  • Jiawei Chen

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fonc.2022.903800
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 12

Abstract

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Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of mortality in females. Over the past decades, intensive efforts have been made to uncover the pathogenesis of breast cancer. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a pleiotropic factor which has a vital role in host defense immunity and acute stress. Moreover, a wide range of studies have identified the physiological and pathological roles of IL-6 in inflammation, immune and cancer. Recently, several IL-6 signaling pathway-targeted monoclonal antibodies have been developed for cancer and immune therapy. Combination of IL-6 inhibitory antibody with other pathways blockage drugs have demonstrated promising outcome in both preclinical and clinical trials. This review focuses on emerging studies on the strong linkages of IL-6/IL-6R mediated regulation of inflammation and immunity in cancer, especially in breast cancer.

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