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As regulators of malignant cell behaviour and communication with stroma, cytokines have proved useful in understanding cancer biology and developing novel therapies. In renal cell carcinoma, patients with inflammatory reactions are known to have poor prognosis. In order to elucidate the relation between renal cell carcinoma and the host, serum levels of inflammatory cytokines, interleukin-6, tumour necrosis factor a, interleukin-1b, were measured. One hundred and twenty-two patients with renal cell carcinoma and 21 healthy control subjects were studied, and serum cytokine levels were measured using a highly sensitive ELISA kit. As a result, in the control group, interleukin-6, tumour necrosis factor a and interleukin-1b levels were 1.79+2.03, 2.74+0.94 and 0.16+0.17 pg ml 71, respectively. In the renal cell carcinoma patients, they were 8.91+13.12, 8.44+4.15 and 0.53+0.57 pg ml 71 , respectively, and significantly higher. In the comparison of stage, interleukin-6 level was significantly higher in the stage IV group compared to the other stage groups including the control group, while tumour necrosis factor a level was significantly higher in each stage group compared to the control group. As for grade, interleukin-6 level was significantly higher in the grade 3 group compared to the control, grade 1 and grade 2 groups, while tumour necrosis factor a level was significantly higher in each grade group compared to the control group. All cytokines had a positive correlation with tumour size. In regard to the correlation with CRP, all cytokines had a positive correlation with CRP, while interleukin-6 had a particularly strong correlation. In conclusion, interleukin-6 may be one of the factors for the poor prognosis of patients with renal cell carcinoma. In addition, tumour necrosis factor a may be useful in the early diagnosis of renal cell carcinoma and post-operative follow-up.

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Caspase inhibitors such as ZVAD-fmk may provide a new adjuvant therapy to treat liver failure after massive hepatectomy.

Concentrations of neopterin, which is produced by human monocytesl macrophages when stimulated by interferon-y, were measured in serum specimens from 109 patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Results showed that neopterin levels were significantly higher in the patients with grade 3 RCC compared to the control subjects and patients with grade 1 or grade 2 RCC. When the patients were divided according to serum C-reactive protein (CRP), neopterin levels were significantly higher in the CRP-positive patients compared to the control subjects and CRP-negative patients. A significant correlation was shown between serum neopterin levels and CRP. Our study suggests that serum neopterin levels may supplement laboratory examinations for patients wilh RCC, providing useful information in evaluating the tumor stage and follow-up of the disease.

The improvement of fibrosis was not significant when a direct injection of the HGF gene was used alone, but it was enhanced by the concomitant use of EP. However, no efficacy was observed in fat components. These findings suggest that transfection of the HGF gene by EP may lead to an improvement of irreversible cirrhotic livers to reversible fatty livers.

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