Abstract
In many breast cancer patients, postoperative fever is prevalent. Some retrospective studies proposed that postoperative fever might also be considered as a rapid rough indicator for the poor prognosis of breast cancer patients. This study aims to explore and to investigate the association between postoperative fever and prognosis, as well as explore the possible molecular mechanisms underlying this association. Our results indicated early postoperative fever might be an indicator for the poor prognosis of breast cancer patients. Specific inflammatory cytokines released from breast cancer patients cause systemic inflammatory responses and postoperative fever. As an important preinflammatory factor, TNF-α, is involved in the regulation of the systemic inflammatory response and promotes the invasion and metastasis of breast cancer. Our study suggests that TNF-α is the main regulator of recurrence and metastasis in breast cancer patients with early postoperative fever. (Am J Trans Med. 2018. 2:96-110)