TNF and neoplasm: By looking at the temporal sequence of inflammation in relation to tumorigenesis in Min/+ mice, it was found that the increased mRNA expression of the inflammatory cytokines TNFα, IL-6, IL-1β and monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1) occurred at age 12 weeks in association with a rapid increase in tumor number at the same time, and that, in general, the overall tumor number and abundance of large tumors were positively correlated with the inflammatory cytokine responses [70].