| Despite remarkable improvements in cancer treatment approaches, breast cancer is still the main cause of
cancer-related death in women. Its principal cause is the resistance of the cancer cells against conventional
anticancer therapeutics, mainly in advanced disease stages. It has been shown that chronic inflammation in the
tumor microenvironment facilitates tumor growth and induces resistance toward chemo- and radiotherapy.
Overexpression of interleukin-6 (IL-6) cytokine in the tumor microenvironment has been demonstrated in numerous
tumors including breast cancer. Tumor cells and tumor-associated fibroblasts are the major sources of IL-
6 secretion in the tumor microenvironment. Several studies have demonstrated the immunopathogenic function
of IL-6 and its signaling in the tumor growth, metastasis, and therapeutic resistance in the breast cancer.
Therefore, it seems that targeting IL-6 and/or its receptor in combination with other potent anticancer therapies
may be a potent therapeutic approach for breast cancer therapy. |