Objective To investigate the correlation between cytokines and the side effects of estrogen deprivation associated with adjuvant endocrine therapy in female patients with early luminal breast cancer.

Methods A retrospective analysis was performed on the data of 70 patients with early-stage breast cancer who underwent both the Endocrine Symptom Scale (FACT-ES) assessment and cytokine testing at the Breast Clinic of the Department of Medical Oncology, Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, between April 2023 and June 2023.

Results Binary logistic regression analysis revealed that breast cancer patients experiencing hot flashes had significantly higher serum levels of IL-5 compared with those without hot flashes (3.17 pg/ml vs. 2.33 pg/ml, OR: 1.307-7.66, P=0.011), and the patients experiencing irritability had significantly lower serum levels of IL-10 (0.83 pg/ml vs. 1.37 pg/ml) and INF-γ (19.91 pg/ml vs. 35.93 pg/ml) compared with those without irritability（OR: 0.855-0.983, P=0.015）.

Conclusion The elevated IL-5 may be associated with the occurrence of hot flashes, while lower levels of IL-10 and INF-γ may be linked to irritability in patients with early-stage Luminal breast cancer treated with adjuvant endocrine therapy.