Investigation of Interleukin-7 Serum Levels in Patients with Osteosarcoma

Primary bone cancers, mainly osteosarcoma, are the most common malignancies in human musculoskeletal system. Several risk factors including inflammatory and immunologic factors have been introduced in this disease of which cytokines can be named. The aim of this study was to investigate the serum levels of Interleukin-7 (IL-7), as a bone marrow inhabited cytokine, in patients with osteosarcoma compared to healthy individuals. In this study, serum samples from 28 patients with osteosarcoma and 47 healthy individuals were tested for IL-7 levels by ELISA technique. The results were analyzed using t-test. The mean level of IL-7 in patients with osteosarcoma and  that of the control group were 0.1 ± 0.03 and 0.08 ± 0.02 Pg/ml, respectively and there was no significant difference in IL-7 levels between the two groups  (P=0.515). Despite the increase in IL-7 serum levels during metastasis of several tumors to the bone, our results suggest that IL-7 serum levels do not increase in primary bone tumors. This finding is important since IL-7 production is important in the maintenance of the lymphocytes in bone marrow and other lymphoid organs and any change in its levels may cause disturbances in the immune system function.