Role of ß-isomerized C-terminal telopeptides (ß-CTx) and total procollagen type 1 amino-terminal propeptide (tP1NP) as osteosarcoma biomarkers.

INTRODUCTION: Few serum markers are valid and useful for the diagnosis or therapeutic effect monitoring of osteosarcoma. This study aimed to investigate the role of ß-isomerized C-terminal telopeptides (ß-CTx) and total procollagen type 1 amino-terminal propeptide (tP1NP) as serological biomarkers for osteosarcoma patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 48 patients with osteosarcoma and 55 healthy volunteers were investigated. Serum ß-CTx and tP1NP levels were measured by electrochemiluminescence immunoassay. Data were analyzed by t test with Walth's correction and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. RESULTS: The baseline levels of ß-CTx and tP1NP were found to be significantly higher in patients with osteosarcoma than the healthy volunteers. The mean areas under the ROC curves were 0.919 (range, 0.864-0.973) for ß-CTx and 0.866 (range, 0.792-0.939) for tP1NP. The levels of ß-CTx and tP1NP were lower in patients with stable disease after operation than those before operation. CONCLUSION: These findings support our hypothesis that ß-CTx and tP1NP are promising serum biomarkers for diagnosing or monitoring osteosarcoma.