Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42500296›Full record

ReviewFrontiers in oncology2026

Context-dependent regulation of IL-6 in exercise and colorectal cancer cachexia.

Jingwen Xiong, Sihan Liu, Jie Xu, Jinghan Zhang, Yundong Peng, Yibei Xia, Jinghua Qian

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Frontiers in oncology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Jingwen XiongSchool of Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation, Beijing Sport University, Beijing, China.
Sihan LiuSchool of Cardiovascular & Metabolic Health, College of Medicine, Veterinary & Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom.
Jie XuWest China School of Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
Jinghan ZhangDepartment of Anesthesiology, People's Hospital, Peking University, Beijing, China.
Yundong PengSchool of Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation, Beijing Sport University, Beijing, China.
Yibei XiaSchool of Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation, Beijing Sport University, Beijing, China.
Jinghua QianSchool of Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation, Beijing Sport University, Beijing, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a common malignancy of the digestive system and remains a major cause of cancer-related morbidity and mortality worldwide. Its development and progression are influenced by genetic susceptibility, lifestyle factors, metabolic dysregulation, and chronic inflammatory states. Cancer cachexia is a multifactorial wasting syndrome characterized by weight loss, skeletal muscle atrophy, metabolic disturbances, and functional decline, which substantially impairs quality of life and survival outcomes in patients with CRC. In this context, interleukin-6 (IL-6) has emerged as a context-dependent regulatory mediator linking inflammation, metabolism, tumor biology, and skeletal muscle wasting. The biological effects of IL-6 are shaped by signaling mode, cellular source, concentration, temporal dynamics, and the broader tumor-host environment. This review discusses the regulatory roles of IL-6 in CRC and CRC-related cachexia, with particular attention to exercise-associated IL-6 responses. Rather than viewing exercise-induced IL-6 as inherently beneficial or antitumor, we emphasize that IL-6 is one component of a broader exercise-responsive network involving metabolic adaptation, immune regulation, skeletal muscle function, and systemic inflammatory remodeling. We also summarize current evidence regarding how exercise modality and intensity may influence IL-6 dynamics, while distinguishing mechanistic and preclinical findings from limited and heterogeneous human data. Overall, IL-6 dynamics may provide a hypothesis-generating framework for understanding exercise responses in CRC-related cachexia, but current evidence is insufficient to support IL-6-guided individualized exercise prescription or therapeutic decision-making in clinical practice.

Indexed as

cachexiacolorectal cancer (CRC)exercise oncologyexercise therapyIL-6

Identifiers

PMID42500296
PMCPMC13395723

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.