ArticlePloS one2017
The relationship between pro-inflammatory cytokines and pain, appetite and fatigue in patients with advanced cancer.
Article in PloS one, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT05067777 (Massage for Prostate Cancer-Related Fatigue), which is not on this map. Cited by 63 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Massage for Prostate Cancer-Related Fatigue (mPROSTATE)
Who cites it
63 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 116 citations in OpenAlex.
- Inflammatory Correlates and Prospective Associations of Cancer-Related Fatigue: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Psycho-oncology · 2026Pooled it
- Associations between inflammatory biomarkers, symptoms, treatment toxicities and quality of life in people with advanced cancer receiving systemic anti-cancer treatments: a systematic review.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026Pooled it
- Optimized exercise prescription for alleviating cancer-related fatigue in breast cancer survivors after primary treatment: a systematic review and dose-response network meta-analysis.Frontiers in public health · 2026Pooled it
- Diagnostic and prognostic role of NLR in testicular cancer.Exploration of targeted anti-tumor therapy · 2024Pooled it
- Exploring the links among inflammation and gut microbiome with psychoneurological symptoms and gastrointestinal toxicities in gynecologic cancers: a systematic review.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2022Pooled it
- A systematic review of the overlap of fluid biomarkers in delirium and advanced cancer-related syndromes.BMC psychiatry · 2020Pooled it
- Exploring potential anti-inflammatory effects of medicinal cannabis.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2023Trial
- A randomised, double blind, placebo-controlled trial of megestrol acetate or dexamethasone in treating symptomatic anorexia in people with advanced cancer.Scientific reports · 2021Trial
- Trial
- Association Between Postoperative Pain and Inflammatory Biomarkers After Ovariohysterectomy in Dogs: A Pilot Study.Veterinary medicine and science · 2026Article
- Neuroimmunology of Oral Cancer: Tumor Progression, Systemic Inflammation, and Neural Circuit Dysfunction from the Cerebellum to the Frontal Cortex.Molecular biology reports · 2026Review
- Article
- Multivariate integrated predictive model for 1-year mortality risk prognosis in patients undergoing esophageal cancer resection: establishment and validation.BMC surgery · 2026Article
- Associations between self-reported symptoms and circulating protein biomarkers: A scoping review protocol.PloS one · 2026Article
- Association of Systemic Inflammation with Nocturnal Sleeping Time Among Terminally Ill Patients with Cancer: Preliminary Findings.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Article
- Fatigue in hematological cancer changes across chemotherapy trajectory within the context of IL-6, not hemoglobin level: evidence from growth curve modeling.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2025Observational
- Fatigue and Vitamin D Status in Frail Elderly with and without Cancer, and Healthy Controls of Different Ages: Results from the IMAGE Study.Gerontology · 2025Observational
- Role of Nutrition in the Management of Chronic Liver Disease.Gastro hep advances · 2025Review
- Association of Systemic Inflammation with Dietary Intake, Nutrition Impact Symptoms, and Eating-Related Distress Among Patients with Advanced Cancer.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
3 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundSystemic inflammation is associated with reduced quality of life and increased symptoms in patients with advanced cancer. The aims of this study were to examine the relationships between inflammatory biomarkers and the Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) of pain, appetite and fatigue; and to explore whether levels of baseline biomarkers were associated with changes in these PROMs following treatment with corticosteroids. MATERIAL AND
methodsAn exploratory analysis was done on a trial examining the analgesic properties of corticosteroids in patients with advanced cancer. Inclusion criteria were: >18 years, taking opioids for moderate or severe cancer pain; pain ≥4 (numerical rating scale 0-10). Serum was extracted and levels of inflammatory biomarkers were assessed. PROMs of pain, appetite and fatigue were assessed using the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-C30 (EORTC QLQ-C30). The relationships between PROMs and inflammatory biomarkers were examined using Spearman Rho-Rank and multiple regression analysis.
resultsData were available on 49 patients. Levels of sTNF-r1, IL-6, IL-18, MIF, MCP-1, TGF-β1, IL-1ra, and C-reactive protein (CRP) and Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) were elevated; IL-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12(p70), interferon-γ, MIP-1α, and TNF-α were below the level of detection. The following correlations were observed: appetite and IL-6 and CRP; fatigue and IL-1ra (rs: 0.38-0.41, p< .01). There was no association between pretreatment biomarkers and effect from corticosteroid treatment.
conclusionIn patients with advanced cancer and pain, some pro-inflammatory cytokines were related to appetite and fatigue. Inflammatory biomarkers were not associated with pain or with the efficacy of corticosteroid therapy. Further research examining the attenuation of the systemic inflammatory response and possible effects on symptoms would be of interest.
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