Study of serum interleukin 18 and nitric oxide levels as prognostic markers in breast cancer patients, and their relation to different treatment modalities.

Etiology of breast cancer is mostly hormonal related with other modifying risk factors. The molecular mechanisms linking inflammation and tumorigenesis remained elusive. The role of IL-18 in cancer progression and metastasis remains controversial with insufficient data in the Egyptian population .Thus we aimed to study the rule of IL-18 as a prognostic marker in a group of Egyptian females with breast cancer and its relation to different treatment modalities. Case-control study was carried on 29 cancer breast female patients and comparable 15 controls. Follow up of patients were done at three and six months after completion of their planned treatment, assessments were done including: clinical, radiological examinations (if needed) and laboratory work-up (IL-18, CA 15-3, Nitric oxide) Results: IL18 had significant higher values in patients preoperatively than controls (p <0.001) and no significant differences between the different time intervals. IL18 had negative significant correlation with CA15.3 (r = -0.433, p = 0.019) at three months post treatment , and negative correlation with NO both in three and six months post treatment (r = -0.436, p = 0.018 and r = -0.433, p = 0.019) respectively . IL18 had significant negative correlations with CA 15.3 in relapsed cases (r = -0.821, p = 0.023). Both NO and CA15.3 had the highest overall performance to predict relapse six months post treatment (p =0.039). Conclusion IL 18 could have a possible role as a prognostic marker in breast cancer patients with a larger scale and a longer period of follow up needed.