IL6ST and cancer: Although we could not determine why sIL-6R detection was reduced by the concomitant enhanced expression of IL-6 in cancer cells' cytoplasm, it may be hypothesised that the increased release of sIL-6R and sgp130 from cancer cells induced increased binding of sIL-6R by both the soluble and membranous forms of gp130 in cancer stroma, resulting in a decrease of sIL-6R in cancer tissue.