Translational potential of the interleukin-6/interleukin-10 ratio for immune monitoring after radiofrequency ablation

Table 1 Studies on the roles and clinical significance of interleukin-6 and interleukin-10 in hepatic malignancies

Ref.	Parameter	Research type	Test set	Key findings
Paul et al[34]	IL-6	Retrospective study	229 patients	High IL-6 levels can independently predict adverse pathological features of liver cancer and increase the risk of recurrence after transplantation
Hu et al[35]		Retrospective study	101 patients	High serum IL-6 concentration before radiotherapy is an independent predictor of poor prognosis after radiotherapy in patients with HCC
Shao et al[36]		Prospective study	128 patients	In patients with advanced HCC, elevated pre-treatment plasma IL-6 levels (> 4.28 pg/mL) are an independent prognostic indicator for poor overall survival after sorafenib treatment
Myojin et al[37]		Prospective study	64 patients	Plasma IL-6 level is a novel circulating biomarker for poor prognosis in patients with advanced HCC receiving atezolizumab/bevacizumab combination immunotherapy, and its high level is significantly associated with poorer treatment response and shorter progression-free survival and overall survival
Dalbeni et al[38]		Retrospective study	93 patients	Elevated IL-6 levels are significantly associated with advanced disease stage (BCLC stage C) of HCC and represent a potential novel biomarker for sarcopenia in cirrhotic patients with HCC
Song et al[39]		Basic study	-	IL-6 enhances the anti-apoptotic, proliferative and migratory capabilities of liver cancer cells by activating the Janus kinase 2/STAT3 signaling pathway to upregulate the expression of its receptor IL-6R, thereby promoting liver cancer progression
Zhu et al[40]		Basic study	-	IL-6 released by hepatic stellate cells enhances the glycolytic and migratory capabilities of liver cancer cells by activating the Janus kinase 1/von willebrand factor/TGF-β1 axis
Xu et al[41]		Basic study	-	IL-6 upregulates the expression of the pro-apoptotic protein prostate apoptosis response protein-4 by activating the STAT3 signaling pathway, thereby stimulating the proliferation and migration of liver cancer cells and reducing their drug sensitivity to sorafenib, thus promoting liver cancer progression
Srivastava et al[42]		Basic study	-	In HCC, TGF-β can attenuate the IL-6-induced proliferation of cancer cells by downregulating the IL-6 receptor, inhibiting its downstream STAT-3/p65 signaling pathway, and altering the epigenetic profile of histone modifications
Mei et al[43]	IL-10	Meta analysis	8182 participants	IL-10 gene is associated with HCC risk in an ethnicity-specific manner (significant in non-Asian populations)
Chen et al[44]		Mendelian randomization	-	IL-10 levels have a negative causal association with liver cancer risk, exerting a protective effect
Lin et al[45]		Basic study	-	liver-directed adeno-associated virus vector-IL-10 delivery can overcome local immunosuppression and enhance CD8+T cell-mediated anti-tumor immunity, thereby effectively inhibiting the growth of HCC
Ouyang et al[46]		Basic study	160 patients	In HCC, dendritic cells in the tumor microenvironment activate B cells to produce IL-10, which in turn inhibits the immune function of cytotoxic T cells, thereby promoting tumor immune escape
Chamseddine et al[47]		Prospective study	767 patients	In patients with HCC, elevated serum IL-10 levels are a marker of poor prognosis and significantly associated with shorter overall survival
El-Emshaty et al[48]		Cross-sectional study	51 patients	Serum IL-10 levels are significantly elevated during the progression from chronic liver disease to HCC, which may promote the development of HCC by inhibiting the body’s immune surveillance
Sharafeldin et al[49]		Prospective study	100 patients	IL-10 levels are significantly elevated in the serum of patients with HCV-related HCC, which can serve as a novel biomarker reflecting the degree of tumor inflammation, and its combined application with alpha-fetoprotein improves the diagnostic performance of HCC
Yang et al[50]		Retrospective study	110 patients	In patients with HCV-related HCC, plasma IL-10 levels are significantly elevated. On one hand, it may limit liver damage through anti-inflammatory effects, but on the other hand, its immunosuppressive function promotes tumor immune escape and progression

HCC: Hepatocellular carcinoma; IL-6: Interleukin-6; IL-10: Interleukin-10; STAT3: Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3; TGF-β: Transforming growth factor beta.