Clinical significance and prognostic value of pentraxin-3 as serologic biomarker for lung cancer.

PURPOSES: Lung cancer is prevalent worldwide and improvements in timely and effective diagnosis are need. Pentraxin-3 as a novel serum marker for lung cancer (LC) has not been validated in large cohort studies. The aim of the study was to assess its clinical value in diagnosis and prognosis. METHODS: We analyzed serum PTX-3 levels in a total of 1,605 patients with LC, benign lung diseases and healthy controls, as well as 493 non- lung cancer patients including 12 different types of cancers. Preoperative and postoperative data were further assessed in patients undergoing LC resection. The diagnostic performance of PTX-3 for LC and early-stage LC was assessed using receiver operating characteristics (ROC) by comparing with serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), cytokeratin 19 fragments (CYFRA 21-1). RESULTS: Levels of PTX-3 in serum were significantly higher in patients with LC than all controls. ROC curves showed the optimum diagnostic cutoff was 8.03ng/mL (AUC 0.823, [95%CI 0.789-0.856], sensitivity 72.8%, and specificity 77.3% in the test cohort; 0.802, [95%CI 0.762-0.843], sensitivity 69.7%, and specificity 76.4% in the validate cohort). Similar diagnostic performance of PTX-3 was observed for early-stage LC. PTX-3 decreased following surgical resection of LC and increased with tumor recurrence. Significantly elevated PTX-3 levels were also seen in patients with non-lung cancers. CONCLUSIONS: The present data revealed that PTX-3 was significantly increased in both tissue and serum samples in LC patients. PTX-3 is a valuable biomarker for LC and improved identification of patients with LC and early-stage LC from those with non-malignant lung diseases.

Hepatitis B virus large surface protein in serum as a candidate biomarker for evaluating hepatitis B virus infection.

AIM: To develop a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the detection of serum hepatitis B virus large surface protein (HBV-LP), and study the clinical value of HBV-LP. METHODS: Serum HBV-LP levels and a panel of other HBV markers were investigated in a large population of patients with chronic HBV. The clinical value of HBV-LP was evaluated by comparing the coincidence of detection of HBV markers and the change of serum HBV-LP level during antiviral therapy. RESULTS: The ELISA was found to be sensitive and specific for the detection of HBV-LP. Serum HBV-LP level was positively correlated with HBV DNA (r=0.743) in HBV patients. Among the five HBV markers tested, HBV-LP displayed the highest coincidence rate (94.7%) with HBV DNA. CONCLUSIONS: Serum HBV-LP was strongly correlated with HBV DNA. This ELISA therefore offers a promising approach for the diagnosis and treatment monitoring of HBV patients.

[Clinical significance of measuring hepatitis B virus large surface protein in serum].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the significance of serum hepatitis B virus large protein( HBV-LP), HBV-DNA and markers of hepatitis B virus (HBV-M)in the diagnosis of viral replication. METHODS: Serum HBV-DNA level was quantitatively detected using PCR Real-time polymerase chain reaction, HBV-LP was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and HBV markers expression were measured by chemiluminescence immunoassay method in 1886 cases of seurm. RESULTS: The results of hepatitis virus large protein (HBV-LP) detection and the detection results of HBV-DNA was no significant difference (chi2 = 1.142, P > 0.05). HBV-DNA logarithm of copies and A vaule of HBV-LP was a positive correlation (r = 0.487, P < 0.01). HBV-DNA copies of different groups was significantly different from HBV-LP A values (F = 7.772, P < 0.01). The results of HBV-LP and HBV-DNA detected in different patterns of HBV-M were not significantly different. In 36 healthy people,the detecting results of HBV-DNA and HBV-LP are negative. CONCLUSION: There is a good correlation between the copies of HBV-DNA and the levels of HBV-LP. HBV-LP expression can reflect the replication of HBV.

The clinical value of serum connective tissue growth factor in the assessment of liver fibrosis.

To explore the relation between connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) in serum and the severity of liver fibrosis, and to determine the clinical value of CTGF in the assessment of liver fibrosis, serum CTGF was tested utilizing enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The correlation between serum CTGF concentration and fibrosis stage was assessed. The diagnostic performance of CTGF was assessed by comparing the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves (AUC) with a panel of fibrosis markers. The correlation coefficient was 0.689 (P < 0.001) between the levels of serum CTGF and fibrosis stages and the AUC of CTGF was 0.841 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.762-0.920) in distinguishing mild fibrosis from significant fibrosis. The present data revealed that serum CTGF was significantly correlated with the stage of liver fibrosis, suggested that serum CTGF was an indicator for the stage of liver fibrosis, and shown evidence that serum CTGF could be used as a valuable marker for assessing liver fibrosis.

Clinical application of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay detecting hepatoma-specific gamma-glutamyltransferase.

AIM: To develop a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) measuring hepatoma-specific datura stramonium agglutinin-tightly bounding gamma-glutamyltransferase (DSA-GGT) and evaluate its clinical application for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) diagnosis. METHODS: Serum DSA-GGT concentrations were measured with the sandwich ELISA system in 96 patients with HCC, 240 patients with chronic liver diseases and 119 healthy subjects. The diagnostic performance of DSA-GGT for HCC was assessed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. The diagnostic accuracy of DSA-GGT was compared with serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP). RESULTS: The area under the ROC curve of DSA-GGT in discriminating patients with HCC from non-HCC was 0.865 (95% confidence interval: 0.818-0.915, P < 0.001). Serum DSA-GGT was positive in 67 out of 96 patients with HCC and 23 out of 240 patients with non-HCC diseases. The sensitivity and specificity of DSA-GGT and AFP for the diagnosis of HCC were 69.8% and 90.5%, and 72.9% and 89.1%, respectively. A higher sensitivity (93.8%) in the identification of HCC was observed by combining DSA-GGT and AFP. CONCLUSION: The sandwich ELISA system showed good reliability and reproducibility, and using the measurement, we found that serum DSA-GGT was a valuable marker of HCC, as a usable complementary to AFP. The sensitivity for identifying HCC could be significantly improved by combining DSA-GGT and AFP, and the combination could be used in large-scale screening for HCC in susceptible individuals.

[Clinical application of avidin-biotin ELISA to detect serum hepatoma-specific gamma-glutamyltransferase in patients with primary hepatic cancer].

OBJECTIVE: To detect serum hepatoma-specific datura stramonium lectin-tightly binding gamma-glutamyl transferase (DSA-GGT) in patients with primary hepatic cancer (PHC) by avidin-biotin ELISA method which was established in our laboratory, and carry on a study of its clinical application. METHODS: To detect serum DSA-GGT in 45 healthy control subjects, 58 PHC patients and 203 non-PHC patients (including 36 patients with other tumors and 167 patients with benign liver diseases) with the method was established; meanwhile, AFP was detected by ELISA method. RESULTS: 38 individuals were DSA-GGT positive in 58 PHC patients, the sensitivity was 65.5%. 18 individuals were DSA-GGT positive in 203 patients without PHC, the specificity was 91.1%. The sensitivity and specificity of AFP in diagnosis of PHC patients was 69.0% and 90.6%, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of combination of DSA-GGT and AFP was 93.1% and 85.7%, respectively. The average intra-CV and inter-CV of DSA-GGT ELISA was 8.9% and 11.5%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The sensitivity and specificity of DSA-GGT ELISA method established in our lab is similar with that of AFP assay and the accuracy is good. Combination of DSA-GGT and AFP may improve the diagnostic sensitivity. The method should be potentially as a new way to improve diagnosis of PHC.