Role of Interleukin 17 in Lung Carcinogenesis and Lung Cancer Progression

Interleukin 17 (IL-17) is an important pro-inflammatory cytokine. It plays a critical role in mediating pathogen defense reactions, and the pathological inflammation of autoimmune diseases. IL-17 is also involved in various inflammation-related carcinogenesis. Cigarette smoking is one of the most important risk factors of lung cancer. Chronic inflammation caused by smoking and other factors is accompanied with overexpression of IL-17 within the airway, which reveals a potential relationship between IL-17 and lung carcinogenesis. Furthermore, IL-17 also plays a role in lung cancer progression via different mechanisms. In this paper, we summarized the results of current studies on IL-17 and lung carcinogenesis, as well as lung cancer progression.