ERC/mesothelin as a marker for chemotherapeutic response in patients with mesothelioma.

BACKGROUND: It has been recently reported that soluble mesothelin-related protein (SMRP), serum mesothelin, and osteopontin (OPN) are considered as relevant biomarkers for the diagnosis of mesothelioma. The aim of this study was to investigate whether serum N-ERC/mesothelin, an NH3-terminal fragment of mesothelin, and plasma OPN reflect chemotherapeutic effect in patients with mesothelioma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Serum N-ERC/mesothelin and plasma osteopontin were determined with a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) system. RESULTS: The average N-ERC ratio, determined by dividing the N-ERC levels following chemotherapy by those prior to chemotherapy, in the partial response (PR) group was significantly lower than that of the stable disease (SD)/progressive disease (PD) group. In contrast, the average OPN ratio, determined by dividing the OPN levels following chemotherapy by those prior to chemotherapy, in the PR group was not statistically different from that of the SD/PD group. CONCLUSION: N-ERC/mesothelin is considered as relevant in monitoring chemotherapeutic response in patients with mesothelioma.