As OSM protein is highly expressed by activated neutrophils, monocytes and macrophages, blood concentration of OSM protein may not be a reliable prognosis marker of cancer treatment outcome because OSM concentration is also elevated during infections, sepsis (50, 51), acute and chronic inflammation (14, 16, 52) or in response to therapeutic treatments with myelopoietic cytokines such as granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (5). The gene discussed is OSM; the disease is cancer.