Evaluation of Serum Interleukin-8 (CXCL8) Concentrations in Tumor Bearing Dogs

Interleukin-8 (IL-8 or CXCL8) is a pro-inflammatory and angiogenic chemokine involved in tumorigenesis. Serum CXCL8 is elevated in various neoplastic diseases, but its potential value as a tumor marker in veterinary medicine is unknown. Here, we measured serum CXCL8 concentrations in dogs with various neoplastic diseases using a commercially available canine ELISA kit and analyzed its relationship with patient and disease features. Serum CXCL8 was detected in significantly higher concentrations in tumor bearing dogs compared with healthy patients (p<0.001). Interestingly, serum CXCL8 increased with augmenting tumor size while it decreased with raising malignancy (p=0.01 and p<0.001, respectively). We found no correlation with the tumor type, tissue origin and histological features such as vascularization, necrosis or infiltrating cells. Some of the associations between CXCL8 and neoplastic features stated in human research were corroborated in this study, suggesting the need for investigating its relevance in tumor bearing dogs.