IL6 and neoplasm: In parallel, we detected secretion of IL-6 probably by tumor cells and fibroblasts; this pro-inflammatory cytokine, secreted by cancer-associated fibroblasts and tumor cells, also has a pro-angiogenic role and has been reported to be increased in the plasma of breast cancer patients and linked to higher tumor stage (Salgado et al., 2003; Ravishankaran and Karunanithi, 2011).