Proinflammatory Cytokines Correlate with Depression and Anxiety in Colorectal Cancer Patients

Abstract

The objective of this study was to investigate whether serum cytokine levels correlate with depression and anxiety in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. Twenty patients hospitalized for surgical resection of CRC were included in the study group and twenty healthy volunteers comprised the control group. Depression and anxiety were analyzed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and serum levels of IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12, TNF-α, and TGF-β were measured by Cytometric Bead Array. We found that more than half of CRC patients presented clinically significant levels of anxiety or depression, and 65% of them manifested a combination of severe anxiety and depression. CRC patients had increased serum levels of IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-α but lower IL-10 concentrations. Correlation analysis between HADS score and cytokine levels revealed a positive association of anxiety and/or depression with IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-α and a negative correlation with IL-10. These results indicate that circulating proinflammatory cytokines are involved in the pathophysiology of anxiety and depression in CRC patients. A better understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in these psychological disorders will allow the design of therapeutic interventions that lead to an improved quality of life and overall survival of CRC patients.

Vitamin D, Inflammation, and Colorectal Cancer Progression: A Review of Mechanistic Studies and Future Directions for Epidemiological Studies

“…Others showed that serum levels of IL10 were elevated in patients with colon cancer compared with controls (72). In a study of 20 patients with colorectal cancer, IL10 concentrations were lower in patients compared with controls (73). No differences were observed for IL12 and TGFb1 levels in this study (73).…”

“…In a study of 20 patients with colorectal cancer, IL10 concentrations were lower in patients compared with controls (73). No differences were observed for IL12 and TGFb1 levels in this study (73). Preoperative CRP levels were inversely associated with survival of patients with colorectal cancer (74,75).…”

Fractalkine (C‑X3‑C motif chemokine ligand 1) as a potential biomarker for depression and anxiety in colorectal cancer patients

“…Although various mechanisms act on the regulation of fractalkine expression in different types of cells, a major mechanism seems to involve the activation of the nuclear factor (NF)-κB signaling pathway by tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α that may occur on tumor cells allowing the release of the chemokine in the tumor microenvironment and its reach to the bloodstream (14). Indeed, the level of NF-κB expression has been shown to be increased in many types of tumors, including CRC (15) and elevated TNF-α levels have been identified in CRC patients (16). Thus, increased expression levels of fractalkine may be a consequence of antitumor immune responses, which in turn triggers systemic effects that include those in the central nervous system, which are emphasized in the present study.…”

Inflammatory cytokines in major depressive disorder: A case–control study

“…However, it is unclear whether MDD may be associated with inflammatory abnormalities in the absence of significant medical illness. Several studies have suggested that proinflammatory cytokines—a family of proteins that mediate immune responses to injury, infection and other organismal stress—are elevated in both serum and cerebral spinal fluids in patients with MDD (Dahl et al, 2014; Dowlati et al, 2010; Dunjic-Kostic et al, 2013; Miller et al, 2009; Noto et al, 2015; Oliveira Miranda et al, 2014; Rivera-Rivera et al, 2014; Rudolf et al, 2014; Schmidt et al, 2014; Simon et al, 2008; Young et al, 2014). A recently published study suggests that, for a subset of individuals with MDD, the inflammation plays a key role in the pathogenesis of MDD, and both inflammation and MDD seem to continuously fuel each other (Kiecolt-Glaser et al, 2015).…”