Features of VEGF and IL-6 expression in patients with inflammatory breast cancer considering molecular-biological characteristics

Expression of pro-malignant factors (VEGF) and cytokines like inflammatory components support breast cancer development. We examined 46 patients with stage IIIB inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) and 24 with stage IIA-IIIB breast cancer (BC) without secondary edema. Hormone receptors, Her-2/neu, Ki-67 index, VEGF, and IL-6, were determined for all patients before and after neoadjuvant treatment. They associated the expression of VEGF for IBC patients with an unfavorable prognosis. VEGF level for IBC lymph node metastases was higher than in patients without such lesions (1.4 times), and there was a significant increase in VEGF levels in the G3 category of malignancy (1.54-fold increase). In IBC patients with positive HER2/neu status, VEGF levels were 1.51 times higher compared to those with negative HER2/neu status (r=0.36, p<0.05). IL-6 level during therapy in IBC patients remained high, which occurs in active tumor development. Comparative analysis of the VEGF/IL-6 ratio during treatment of patients with IBC was higher vs. IIIB stage breast cancer without edema (1.4 vs. 0.7), indicating the aggressiveness of the tumor process and confirmed by an objective response to treatment (regression<30%).