Psychosocial factors and interleukin‐6 among women with advanced ovarian cancer

Abstract

Objective Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a common, fatal motor neuron disorder with no effective treatment. Approximately 10% of cases are familial ALS (FALS), and the most common genetic abnormality is superoxide dismutase‐1 (SOD1) mutations. Most ALS research in the past decade has focused on the neurotoxicity of mutant SOD1, and this knowledge has directed therapeutic strategies. We recently identified TDP‐43 as the major pathological protein in sporadic ALS. In this study, we investigated TDP‐43 in a larger series of ALS cases (n = 111), including familial cases with and without SOD1 mutations. Methods Ubiquitin and TDP‐43 immunohistochemistry was performed on postmortem tissue from sporadic ALS (n = 59), ALS with SOD1 mutations (n = 15), SOD‐1–negative FALS (n = 11), and ALS with dementia (n = 26). Biochemical analysis was performed on representative cases from each group. Results All cases of sporadic ALS, ALS with dementia, and SOD1‐negative FALS had neuronal and glial inclusions that were immunoreactive for both ubiquitin and TDP‐43. Cases with SOD1 mutations had ubiquitin‐positive neuronal inclusions; however, no cases were immunoreactive for TDP‐43. Biochemical analysis of postmortem tissue from sporadic ALS and SOD1‐negative FALS demonstrated pathological forms of TDP‐43 that were absent in cases with SOD1 mutations. Interpretation These findings implicate pathological TDP‐43 in the pathogenesis of sporadic ALS. In contrast, the absence of pathological TDP‐43 in cases with SOD1 mutations implies that motor neuron degeneration in these cases may result from a different mechanism, and that cases with SOD1 mutations may not be the familial counterpart of sporadic ALS. Ann Neurol 2007;61:427–434

Psychological distress and its correlates in ovarian cancer: a systematic review

“…The relationship between levels of distress and immune factors was assessed in three good studies [18,23,24]. Costanzo et al [18] found that a history of depression and increased depressed mood were associated with higher levels of interleukin-6 in ascitic fluid.…”

“…The relationship between levels of distress and immune factors was assessed in three good studies [18,23,24]. Costanzo et al [18] found that a history of depression and increased depressed mood were associated with higher levels of interleukin-6 in ascitic fluid. Lutgendorf et al [23] found that higher levels of helplessness were associated with higher levels of vascular endothelial growth factor, a pro-angiogenic factor, which is associated with poorer survival.…”

Depression in cancer: The many biobehavioral pathways driving tumor progression

“…These data were also confirmed in clinical settings. For instance, lower social support predicted greater VEGF gene expression and higher IL-6 levels in individuals with colon and ovarian cancer respectively, suggesting enhanced angiogenic potential 114,115 .…”

Neuroendocrine influences on cancer biology

“…In ovarian cancer patients, elevated IL-6 is associated with poorer prognosis [52,53]. Lutgendorf and colleagues found that social support was associated with lower levels of IL-6 in the blood and ascites samples of ovarian cancer patients, thereby playing a protective role [54]. Nilsson and associates demonstrated that in ovarian cancer cells, norepinephrine increased IL-6 mRNA expression by 45-fold at 6 hours.…”