ONCOLOGY REPORTS 28: 1443-1452, 2012

Serum interleukin-15 levels in cancer patients with cachexia PEDRO L. MARTÍNEZ-HERNÁNDEZ1, ÁNGEL HERNANZ-MACÍAS2, CARMEN GÓMEZ-CANDELA3, CRISTINA GRANDE-ARAGÓN2, JAIME FELIU-BATLLE4, JAVIER CASTRO-CARPEÑO4, ISABEL MARTÍNEZ-MUÑOZ2, LAURA ZURITA-ROSA3, MARTA VILLARINO-SANZ3, CONCEPCIÓN PRADOS-SÁNCHEZ5 and JOAQUÍN SÁNCHEZ GARCÍA-GIRÓN6 Departments of 1Internal Medicine, 2Biochemistry, 3Clinical Nutrition, 4Medical Oncology, 5 Pneumology, and 6Thoracic Surgery, La Paz University Hospital, E-28046 Madrid, Spain Received May 14, 2012; Accepted July 2, 2012 DOI: 10.3892/or.2012.1928 Abstract. Interleukin-15 (IL-15) has important anabolic effects on muscle protein metabolism through a decrease in the ATP-ubiquitin-dependent proteolytic pathway. The role of IL-15 in human cancer cachexia is unknown. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between interleukin-15 (IL-15) in cancer patients with cachexia at diagnosis of malignancy and 8 weeks later. An observational study of 21 cancer patients (with and without cachexia) and 8 healthy subjects was conducted. Body composition was measured by leg-to-leg impedance. Serum IL-15 levels were assessed at baseline and after 4 and 8 weeks. Baseline IL-15 values were similar in cancer patients and in healthy subjects. Cancer patients with lower baseline levels of IL-15 (8 weeks was also required as well as a recent diagnosis of oncologic disease and no previous cancer therapy except for palliative treatment of pain. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the hospital. Written informed consent was obtained from all patients. Exclusion criteria were as follows: life expectancy