Interleukin-1α concentration in tumors as a risk factor for liver metastasis in gastric cancer

To investigate the relationship between the concentration of interleukin-1 alpha (IL-1 alpha) and liver metastasis in gastric cancer, the concentration of IL-1 alpha was measured in homogenized tumor samples from 61 patients with gastric cancer, A significantly higher concentration of IL-1 alpha was observed in tumors from patients with liver metastasis than in those from patients without liver metastasis; in differentiated type tumors than in undifferentiated type tumors; in tumors associated with moderate to severe venous invasion than in those associated with mild or no invasion; and in tumors with expansive or intermediate growth pattern (INF alpha, INF beta) than in those with an infiltrative pattern (INF gamma) by Student's t-test. Stepwise logistic regression revealed IL-1 alpha, depth of invasion, venous invasion, and tumor size to be associated independently with liver metastasis. These findings led us to conclude that the IL-1 alpha concentration was on eof the most useful determinants of liver metastasis among the various clinicopathologic mined characteristics.