Abstract
BackgroundThe finding of new biomarkers is needed to have a better sub-classification of primary renal tumors (RCC) as well as more reliable predictors of outcome and therapy response. In this study, we evaluated the role of circulating FGF21, an endocrine factor, as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for ccRCC.Materials and MethodsSerum samples from healthy controls (HC), clear cell and chromophobe RCC cancer patients were obtained from the serum biobank “Biobanco Público de Muestras Séricas Oncológicas” (BPMSO) of the “Instituto de Oncología “Ángel H. Roffo”. Serum FGF21 and leptin were measured by ELISA while other metabolic markers were measured following routinely clinical procedures.ResultsOne of our major findings was that FGF21 levels were significantly increased in ccRCC patients compared with HC. Moreover, we showed an association between the increased serum FGF21 levels and the shorter disease free survival in a cohort of 98 ccRCC patients, after adjustment for other predictors of outcome.ConclusionOur results suggest that higher FGF21 serum level is an independent prognostic biomarker, associated with worse free-disease survival.
Highlights
Primary renal tumors (RCC) comprise a heterogeneous group of entities with diverse morphological and molecular characteristics, with variable and unpredictable clinical outcomes [1]
Our results suggest that higher Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) serum level is an independent prognostic biomarker, associated with worse free-disease survival
We evaluated the circulating levels of FGF21 in human healthy controls (HC) (n=51) and its association with age and gender to rule out undesired variations
Summary
Primary renal tumors (RCC) comprise a heterogeneous group of entities with diverse morphological and molecular characteristics, with variable and unpredictable clinical outcomes [1]. The finding of new biomarkers is needed for a better sub-classification of RCC tumors as well as reliable predictors of outcome and therapy response. FGF21 is produced in the liver, adipocytes and skeletal muscle and regulates glucose, energy and lipid metabolism [6,7,8,9,10]. FGF21 is a stress-responsive hepatokine which is induced in the liver as a response to injury, regeneration, hepatocarcinogenesis [11] and during kidney dysfunction [12]. The finding of new biomarkers is needed to have a better sub-classification of primary renal tumors (RCC) as well as more reliable predictors of outcome and therapy response. We evaluated the role of circulating FGF21, an endocrine factor, as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for ccRCC
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