Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34568032›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in oncology2021

Decreased IL-6 and NK Cells in Early-Stage Lung Adenocarcinoma Presenting as Ground-Glass Opacity.

Pengfei Zhang, Boxue He, Qidong Cai, Guangxu Tu, Xiong Peng, Zhenyu Zhao, Weilin Peng, Fenglei Yu, Min Wang, Yongguang Tao and 1 more

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in oncology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
0.4field-weighted citation impact, top 37% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 7 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
  2. Review
  3. Novel cancer-associated secretory cells and IL-1βClinical and translational medicine · 2025
    Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Pengfei ZhangDepartment of Thoracic Surgery, Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.
Boxue HeDepartment of Thoracic Surgery, Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.
Qidong CaiDepartment of Thoracic Surgery, Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.
Guangxu TuDepartment of Thoracic Surgery, Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.
Xiong PengDepartment of Thoracic Surgery, Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.
Zhenyu ZhaoDepartment of Thoracic Surgery, Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.
Weilin PengDepartment of Thoracic Surgery, Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.
Fenglei YuDepartment of Thoracic Surgery, Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.
Min WangDepartment of Laboratory Medicine, Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.
Yongguang TaoDepartment of Thoracic Surgery, Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.
Xiang WangDepartment of Thoracic Surgery, Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.
Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University · CNCentral South University · CNXiangya Hospital Central South University · CN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundLung ground-glass opacities (GGOs) are an early manifestation of lung adenocarcinoma. It is of great value to study the changes in the immune microenvironment of GGO to elucidate the occurrence and evolution of early lung adenocarcinoma. Although the changes of IL-6 and NK cells in lung adenocarcinoma have caught global attention, we have little appreciation for how IL-6 and NK cells in the lung GGO affect the progression of early lung adenocarcinoma.

methodsWe analyzed the RNA sequencing data of surgical specimens from 21 patients with GGO-featured primary lung adenocarcinoma and verified the changes in the expression of IL-6 and other important immune molecules in the TCGA and GEO databases. Next, we used flow cytometry to detect the protein expression levels of important Th1/Th2 cytokines in GGO and normal lung tissues and the changes in the composition ratio of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs). Then, we analyzed the effect of IL-6 on NK cells through organoid culture and immunofluorescence. Finally, we explored the changes of related molecules and pathway might be involved.

resultsIL-6 may play an important role in the tumor microenvironment of early lung adenocarcinoma. Further research confirmed that the decrease of IL-6 in GGO tissue is consistent with the changes in NK cells, and there seems to be a correlation between these two phenomena.

conclusionThe IL-6 expression status and NK cell levels of early lung adenocarcinoma as GGO are significantly reduced, and the stimulation of IL-6 can up-regulate or activate NK cells in GGO, providing new insights into the diagnosis and pathogenesis of early lung cancer.

Indexed as

early lung adenocarcinomaground-glass opacitiesIL-6NK cellstumor microenvironment

Identifiers

PMID34568032
PMCPMC8457009
OpenAlexW3197965277

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.