Role of interleukin-6 in resistance to tumor therapy

Abstract

Tumor therapy resistance presents a significant challenge in cancer treatment. Although substantial strides have been made in the domains of early diagnosis and therapeutic interventions within contemporary medicine, a considerable proportion of patients inevitably encounter resistance to treatment, culminating in therapeutic inefficacy and unfavorable clinical outcomes. Typically, such resistance is exhibited by tumor cells acquiring refractoriness to radiotherapy, chemotherapeutic drugs, targeted agents, and immunotherapeutic modalities. Accumulating data in recent years have increasingly implicated interleukin-6 (IL-6), a pivotal mediator of inflammatory responses, in not only the initiation, advancement, metastatic behavior, and immune escape of tumors but also in the promotion of resistance to various oncologic treatments. This review delineates current findings concerning the involvement of IL-6 in tumor-related therapeutic applications, with emphasis on its impact on prognosis, therapeutic resistance, and potential treatment pathways, aiming to facilitate the strategic integration of IL-6 in the refinement of cancer treatment approaches.