IL-6 signaling and breast cancer

A method of detecting IL-6 activity in a breast cancer patient in remission, the method comprising the steps of:

• (i) obtaining a biological sample comprising CD4+ T cells from the breast cancer patient in remission;
• (ii) contacting the biological sample with either:
• (a) an IL-6 pathway detection agent capable of binding an IL-6 pathway protein, wherein the IL-6 pathway protein is phosphorylated STAT1, phosphorylated STAT3, IL-6Rα, or ADAM17, thereby forming a detectable complex;
• or (b) an IL-6 pathway probe capable of hybridizing an IL-6 pathway mRNA expression sequence, wherein the IL-6 pathway mRNA expression sequence is gp130;
• thereby forming a hybridization complex;
• and
• (iii) detecting and/or quantifying either:
• (a) the detectable complex;
• or (b) the hybridization complex, respectively;
• thereby detecting IL-6 activity in the breast cancer patient in remission.