IL6 and cancer: Moreover, our previous study [Chang et al.: Arecoline decreases interleukin-6 production and induces apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in human basal cell carcinoma cells (BCC/KMC), submitted] showed that, in basal cell carcinoma cells, arecoline reduces levels of the tumor cell survival factor IL-6, increases levels of the tumor suppressor factor p53, and elicits cell cycle arrest, followed by apoptosis, showing that arecoline interferes with cancer cell cycle progression.