Exploration of plasma factor profiles involved in tumor growth factors in non-small cell carcinoma patients with interstitial pneumonia

Background

Interstitial pneumonia (IP) is a known complication of lung cancer (LC), but the mechanisms that trigger development of LC are not fully understood. In this study, we aimed to identify factors that promote development of LC in patients with IP by comprehensively measuring levels of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines in stored plasma samples from patients who were diagnosed with IP and who developed LC during follow-up.

Methods

We used a bead-based multiplex assay to comprehensively measure the levels of 87 soluble immune mediators in plasma stored at the time of IP diagnosis in the groups of patients with IP that did (LC-IP, n = 25) and did not (IP, n = 45) develop LC, and used a logistic regression analysis to examine the correlation between plasma factors and LC development. The LC-IP group included 25 patients, who were matched with patients with IP without LC for several factors to increase comparability as much as possible.

Results

In IP patients, the following soluble immune mediators were significantly associated with LC development: GM-CSF, IL-4, IL-1ra, PDGF-BB, IFN-a2, MMP1, CXCL1, TGF-β2, CXCL16, CCL11, IL-2, CCL2, IFN-γ, and IL-16. Meanwhile, PDGF-BB, CXCL2, and TGF-β1 were identified as being associated with LC development in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).

Conclusion

PDGF-BB, CXCL2, and TGF-β1 may be factors in the development of LC in patients with IPF. Further elucidation of the mechanism and prospective follow-up of patients with IPF are needed for validation of these findings.