The pre-operative level and the postoperative increments of serum IL-6 showed no significant differences between different patients groups stratified by pathologic characteristics, including depth of tumor invasion, tumor size larger or smaller than median value, status of lymph node invasion, presence or absence of vascular invasion, presence or absence of lymphatic invasion, and presence or absence of perineurial invasion (data not shown). The gene discussed is IL6; the disease is neoplasm.