***TASK*** the task is to summarize an input biomedical literature in six sentences 
    ***INPUT*** the input is a biomedical literature 
    ***OUTPUT*** the output is the summary of an input biomedical literature in six sentences 
    ***DOCUMENTATION*** 
    ***EXAMPLES*** 
    Input: Background and Aims An immune imbalance in the cytokine profile exerts a profound influence on the progression of hepatitis B virus ( HBV ) infections and hepatocellular carcinoma ( HCC ) . The present study evaluated the immune status of T helper ( Th ) 17 and Th1 cells in patients with HBV-related and non-HBV-related HCC . Methods We r and omly enrolled 150 patients with HCC .  Blood sample s and tissue sample s were obtained . The distributions and phenotypic features of Th17 and Th1 cells were determined by flow cytometry and /or immunohistochemistry . Results Compared to corresponding non-tumor regions , the levels of Th17 and Th1 cells were significantly increased in tumors of patients with HCC ( P<0.001 ) . The intratumoral densities of IL-17-producing cells and IFN-γ-producing cells were associated with overall survival ( OS , P = 0.001 ) and disease-free survival ( DFS , P = 0.001 ) of patients with HCC . The ratio of Th17 to Th1 in HBV-related HCC was higher than in non-HBV-related HCC . A multivariate Cox analysis revealed that the Th17 to Th1 ratio was an independent prognostic factor for OS ( HR = 2.651 , P = 0.007 ) and DFS ( HR = 2.456 , P = 0.002 ) . Conclusions HBV infections can lead to an imbalance in immune status in patients with HCC . An elevated Th17 to Th1 ratio may promote tumor progression . The Th17 to Th1 ratio could serve as a potential prognostic marker for scoring the severity of HCC Purpose The role of interleukin-17 ( IL-17 ) in the tumor microenvironment is controversial . We analyzed the in situ tumor expression of IL-17 in colorectal cancer ( CRC ) , adenoma and non-tumor tissue to explore the possible correlation of IL-17 expression to clinicopathological characteristics , tumor-infiltrating neutrophils ( TINs ) and survival in CRC . Methods We review ed the records of 78 consecutive patients diagnosed with CRC . Archival tissues were used . Thirty-six patients with colorectal adenoma were also included . From the 78 CRC patients , we r and omly chose 40 cases  and collected non-tumor tissue at 10 cm from the edge of the resected tumor . Immunohistochemistry was performed using anti-IL-17 and anti-CD15 ( targeting neutrophils ) antibody , respectively . Real-time PCR was used to detect IL-17 mRNA in different tissues . Associations between IL-17 expression , clinicopathological parameters and prognosis were evaluated . Results The level of IL-17 mRNA was higher in CRC than in adenoma and non-tumor tissue ( P < 0.05 ) . Positive IL-17 protein expression was observed more frequently in CRC as compared to colorectal adenoma and non-tumor tissue , respectively ( P < 0.01 ) . IL-17 expression correlated to well differentiation and early stage CRC . The number of CD15 + neutrophils significantly increased in CRC and positively correlated to the expression of IL-17 ( P < 0.05 ) . Both Kaplan – Meier analysis and multivariate Cox regression analysis indicated that patients with positive IL-17 expression showed better overall survival . Conclusions The association between IL-17 expression and the clinicopathological parameters , as well as the clinical outcome suggests a significant role of IL-17 in CRC . IL-17 is a marker of favorable prognosis Purpose : To determine safety and feasibility of adjuvant ipilimumab following resection of high-risk melanoma and to identify surrogate markers for benefit . Experimental Design : In this phase II trial , 75 patients with resected stage IIIc/IV melanoma received the CTLA-4 antibody ipilimumab  every 6 to 8 weeks for 1 year . Eligible patients received further maintenance treatments . The first 25 patients received 3 mg/kg of ipilimumab , and an additional 50 patients received 10 mg/kg . HLA-A*0201 + patients received multipeptide immunizations in combination with ipilimumab . Leukapheresis was performed prior to and 6 months after initiation of treatment . Results : Median overall and relapse-free survivals were not reached after a median follow-up of 29.5 months . Significant immune-related adverse events were observed in 28 of 75 patients and were positively associated with longer relapse-free survival . Antigen-specific T cell responses to vaccine were variable , and vaccine combination was not associated with additional benefit . No effects on T regulatory cells were observed . Higher changes in Th-17 inducible frequency were a surrogate marker of freedom from relapse ( P = 0.047 ) , and higher baseline C-reactive protein ( CRP ) levels were associated with freedom from relapse ( P = 0.035 ) . Conclusions : Adjuvant ipilimumab following resection of melanoma at high risk for relapse appeared to be associated with improved outcome compared to historical reports . Significant immune-related adverse events were generally reversible and appeared to be associated with improved relapse-free survival . Although vaccination failed to induce a consistent in vitro measurable response , a higher change in Th-17 inducible cells and higher baseline CRP levels were positively associated with freedom from relapse . Clin Cancer Res ; 17(4 ) ; 896–906 . © 2010 AACR Transarterial chemoembolization ( TACE ) has therapeutic effects in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma ( HCC ) , but its impact on the cellular immune response during disease progression is largely unknown . Here we conducted a prospect i ve study to evaluate the effect of TACE on immune status and to identify prognostic immune markers governing treatment success . In this study , 51 stage III HCC patients , 28 stage I HCC patients ( TNM classification ) and 20 healthy donors were enrolled .  Flow cytometry and cytometric bead array were used to evaluate the circulating immune cell subsets , including CD4 + T cells ( Th1 , Th17 and Treg cells ) , CD8 + T cells , NK cells , and NKT cells , and plasma cytokines  before TACE and 30 days after TACE . Interestingly , among those immune parameters , the frequency of circulating Th17 cells was higher in stage III HCC patients than in stage I HCC patients ( P = 0.015 ) and healthy donors ( P<0.001 ) . Moreover , an increased frequency of circulating Th17 cells was observed 30 days after TACE ( Th17D30 ) compared with the baseline level ( P = 0.036 ) . Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated that Th17D30 was positively associated with overall survival ( OS ; P = 0.007 ) and time to progression ( TTP ; P = 0.009 ) . Multivariate Cox analysis revealed that Th17D30 was an independent prognostic factor for OS ( HR = 0.317 , P = 0.032 ) and TTP ( HR = 0.304 , P = 0.010 ) . These results provide a potential prognostic marker for stage III HCC patients undergoing TACE and may be useful for identifying patients who can benefit from adjuvant immunotherapies Host immunity may have important role in the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma ( HCC ) . The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation between circulating immune regulators and clinical outcome in patients with HCC . Sixty-three HCC patients were prospect ively enrolled .  Serum levels of interleukin-10 ( IL-10 ) , transforming growth factor-beta ( TGF-β ) , interferon-gamma ( IFN-γ ) and interferon gamma-inducible protein 10 ( IP-10 ) were measured , as well as the prevalence of regulatory T cells ( Treg ) , NK(+ ) T cells , invariant natural killer T cells ( iNKT ) , programmed cell death-1 (PD-1)(+ ) CD8(+ ) T cells , T helper 17 cells ( Th17 ) , CD69(+ ) and CD45RO(+ ) T cells in peripheral blood mononuclear cells ( P BMC ) . Correlation between these immune regulators and clinical outcome were analyzed . A low serum IFN-γ level ( < 50 pg/mL ) was significantly associated tumor stage ( BCLC stage B : 61.25 % vs. stage A : 25 % , p = 0.010 ) and tumor size ( > 5 cm : 53.8 % vs. < 5 cm : 25 % , p = 0.047 ) . Recurrence-free survival was evaluated in 48 patients receiving curative treatment of HCC . By multivariate analysis , BCLC stage [ hazard ratio ( HR ) = 32.180 , p < 0.001 ] , tumor size ( HR = 15.373 , p = 0.005 ) , AST ( HR = 3.796 , p = 0.011 ) and IFN-γ ( HR = 0.354 , p = 0.018 ) levels were independent factors associated with recurrence-free survival . In conclusion , serum IFN-γ level correlates with tumor stage and tumor size in HCC patients . Patients with lower baseline IFN-γ levels have a higher risk of tumor recurrence after curative treatment . IFN-γ may reflect host anti-tumor immunity and may be a potential marker of HCC recurrence after curative treatment BACKGROUND / AIMS To characterize IL-17-producing cells , a newly defined T helper cell subset with potent pro-inflammatory properties , in hepatocellular carcinoma ( HCC ) and to determine their prognostic values . METHODS One hundred and seventy-eight HCC patients were enrolled r and  omly . Distribution and phenotypic features of IL-17-producing cells were determined by flow cytometry and /or immunohistochemistry . RESULTS Compared with corresponding non-tumor regions , the levels of Th17 cells were significantly increased in tumors of HCC patients ( P<0.001 ) . Most intratumoral Th17 cells exhibited an effector memory phenotype with increased expression of CCR4 and CCR6 . Intratumoral IL-17-producing cell density was associated with overall survival ( OS , P=0.001 ) and disease-free survival ( DFS , P=0.001 ) in HCC patients . Multivariate Cox analysis revealed that intratumoral IL-17-producing cell density was an independent prognostic factor for OS ( HR=2.351 , P=0.009 ) and DFS ( HR=2.256 , P=0.002 ) . Moreover , the levels of intratumoral Th17 cells were positively correlated with microvessel density in tumors ( r=0.616 , P=0.001 ) . CONCLUSION Accumulation of intratumoral IL-17-producing cells may promote tumor progression through fostering angiogenesis , and intratumoral IL-17-producing cell could serve as a potential prognostic marker and a novel therapeutic target for HCC 
    Output:
    
Since Th17 cells are a sub population of IL-17 + cells and had a different correlation with prognosis than total IL-17 , we substantiate that a distinction should be made between Th17 and other IL-17 + cells