2016). An imbalance of pro-/anti-inflammatory cytokines may interfere with normal healing, whereas sustained elevated levels of IL-6 may lead to various complications (Rosa et al. 2008). Similarly, high levels of IL-6 are typical of autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis or SSc. The cytokine also stimulates proliferation as well as migration/spreading of malignant cells, and induces low differentiation, which is an important hallmark of cancer resistance to conventional therapy (Jobe et al. 2016, 2018). Here, IL6 is linked to systemic sclerosis.