A Cross-Sectional Exploration of Cytokine-Symptom Networks in Breast Cancer Survivors Using Network Analysis.
Ashley Henneghan, Michelle L Wright, Garrett Bourne and 1 others
PMID 32482100WHAT IT FOUND
Among breast cancer survivors, perceived cognitive impairment and the cytokine IL-2 were the most connected variables linking symptoms and inflammation.
Higher IL-2 was associated with lower stress, loneliness, fatigue and cognitive impairment. This is descriptive, not proof of cause.
Key findings
01IL-2 and perceived cognitive impairment were the most connected nodes in the symptom-cytokine network.
02After controlling for age, body mass index, hip to waist ratio, cancer stage and time since chemotherapy, IL-2 had significant negative relationships with fatigue, loneliness, perceived stress and perceived cognitive impairment.
03The network separated into two communities, symptoms and cytokines, with several connections between perceived cognitive impairment, stress, fatigue, depression, IL-2, GM-CSF, IL-8, IL-13 and IL-10.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was exploratory and cross-sectional, so it cannot show that cytokines cause symptoms or that symptoms cause cytokines. The sample was 66 women and there was no comparison group, so the network values have no concrete interpretation. The study was not powered to examine relationships between inflammatory markers and stress, and there were no statistical tests for the network metrics. Participants were originally recruited for a study examining cognitive functioning after breast cancer, which may have introduced sampling bias. Only 13 cytokines were measured, so other cytokines may be important. Time since chemotherapy varied widely, from 6 months to 10 years, and all participants had received chemotherapy.
Declared interests
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The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that IL-2 causes these symptoms or that changing IL-2 would improve them. The study was cross-sectional, had no comparison group, and the authors say the findings could be due to chance.