CXCL8 and cancer: Some studies list possible mechanisms of NLR in cancer progression as follows: neutrophils, in response to IL-8 released by tumor cells, might contribute to cancer growth and metastasis by producing several cytokines (De Larco et al. 2004), and lymphocytes might be responsible for an inadequate immunologic reaction and, consequently, a weakened host defense against cancer (Hoffmann et al. 2002).