Interleukin (IL)-17 family is a group of six cytokines that plays a central role in inflammatory processes and participates in cancer progression. Interleukin-17A has been shown to have mainly a protumorigenic role, but the other members of the IL-17 family, including IL-17F, have received less attention. | Mikkola et al. BMC Cancer 2022 22 54 https s12885-021-08969-0 RESEARCH Open Access Variable roles of interleukin-17F in different cancers Tiina Mikkola1 2 Rabeia Almahmoudi1 2 Tuula Salo1 2 3 4 5 and Ahmed Al-Samadi1 2 Abstract Background Interleukin IL -17 family is a group of six cytokines that plays a central role in inflammatory processes and participates in cancer progression. Interleukin-17A has been shown to have mainly a protumorigenic role but the other members of the IL-17 family including IL-17F have received less attention. Methods We applied systematic review guidelines to study the role of IL-17F protein and mRNA expression polymorphisms and functions in cancer. We carried out a systematic search in PubMed Ovid Medline Scopus and Cochrane libraries yielding 79 articles that met the inclusion criteria. Results The findings indicated that IL-17F has both anti- and protumorigenic roles which depend on cancer type and the molecular form and location of IL-17F. As an example the presence of IL-17F protein in tumor tissue and patient serum has a protective role in oral and pancreatic cancers whereas it is protumorigenic in prostate and bladder cancers. These effects are proposed to be based on multiple mechanisms such as inhibition of angiogenesis vasculogenic mimicry and cancer cell proliferation migration and invasion and aggravating the inflammatory process. No solid evidence emerged for the correlation between IL-17F polymorphisms and cancer incidence or patients prognosis. Conclusion IL-17F is a multifaceted cytokine. There is a clear demand for more well-designed studies of IL-17F to elucidate its molecular mechanisms in different types of cancer. The studies presented in this article examined a variety of different designs study populations and primary secondary outcomes which unfortunately reduces the value of direct interstudy comparisons. Keywords IL-17F cancer Systematic review Lymphocytes Prognostic Polymorphism Introduction .
