Cytokine production by the tumor from patients with breast cancer in different age groups.

Dependence of cytokine pattern in the tumor supernatant obtained after cultivation of biopsy samples-on the patients' age was evaluated among patients with invasive ductal carcinoma of the breast. An increase in VEGF and IL-6 production in a group of younger patients was observed. An increase only in interferon γ concentration was revealed in the supernatants of the tumor after addition of polyclonal activators to the culture medium. This result indicates likely secretion of interferon γ in younger patients. The relation among the production of angiogenic factors by tumor cells, age of the patients, and presence or absence of lymph node metastases shows that in such studies, patients have to be stratified by age.