IL6 Signaling in Cancer: Not Always Bad News.

Abstract

Understanding the molecular mechanisms that underpin the pleiotropic effects of IL6 in disease are critical to better inform when this cytokine should be therapeutically targeted to provide the most benefit to patients. This is particularly important for cancer and other pathologic conditions strongly linked to chronic inflammation. Shriki and colleagues provide mechanistic evidence that IL6 protects against chronic liver injury and its ensuing tumor development, thereby challenging the prevailing paradigm that IL6 always acts as a tumor-promoting cytokine. These observations contribute to an emerging view of dichotomous and complex activities of IL6 in solid malignancies and will help understand which patients under which circumstances receive the most benefit from therapies that interfere with IL6 signaling.<i>See related article by Shriki et al., p. 4766</i>.