Evaluation of the circulating levels of IL-12 and IL-33 in patients with breast cancer: influences of the tumor stages and cytokine gene polymorphisms

Objective(s):IL-12 as an anti-tumor cytokine and IL-33 a novel identified cytokine with both pro- or anti-tumor activities, play important roles in response against tumor cells. Our aim was to evaluate the IL-12 and IL-33 levels and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in their genes in patients with breast cancer. Materials and Methods:Blood samples were collected from 100 patients with breast cancer, and 100 healthy women were controls. The serum IL-12 and IL-33 levels were measured by ELISA. The SNP rs3212227 (in IL-12 gene) and rs1929992 (in IL-33 gene) were determined using PCR-RFLP. Results:The IL-12 levels similarly expressed in patients and controls. IL-12 levels in patients at stage I were significantly lower than in the healthy group (P