Cytokines and Chemokines expression in non-small cell lung carcinoma: diagnosis and therapeutic responses

Non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) being multifaceted, it acquires genetic and epigenetic variations. These changes tend to control differentiation, proliferation, invasion, and metastasis of tumors. Surgery considered the most effective treatment for NSCLC in the initial stage, about 70 to 80% of patients are not convinced about it essentially because of locoregional tumor extension, extrathoracic spread, or poor physical and functional condition when diagnosed. Cytokines have proved to be successful in cancer treatment, but the impact of certain promising targets on different immune cell populations is still unknown. In the present study, a total of 250 papers including 230 research papers and 20 review papers, extracted from PubMed and Scopus and published from December 31, 1995, to December 31 2021, are reviewed. The most important involved-chemokines in lung cancer including α-chemokine (CC), β-chemokine (CXC), γ-chemokine (C), and δ-chemokine (CX3C). While essential cytokines in lung cancer including TNF-α, IFN- γ, TGF-β and interleukins such as IL-6, IL-1β, IL-8, and IL-18 are introduced. The pathological role of such chemokines and cytokines in cancer signaling pathways are investigated.