Diagnostic value of combined detection of serum DKK1 and EB virus VCA-IgA for nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Abstract

Objective To explore the diagnostic value of the combined detection of serum Dickkopf-1(DKK1) and EB viral capsid antigen immunoglobulin A (VCA-IgA) in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Methods Serum levels of DKK1 and VCA-IgA were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the 80 patients with NPC and 65 normal controls. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to calculate the diagnostic value. Results The serum levels [M(QR)] of DKK1 in patients with NPC were significantly higher than those in normal controls [580.773(429.146)pg/ml vs. 316.174(252.965)pg/ml], with a significant difference (Z=4.846, P<0.000 1). ROC curves showed that the optimum diagnostic cutoff for serum DKK1 was 611.981 pg/ml, with an area under curve (AUC) of 0.734 (95%CI: 0.654-0.815, 50.0% sensitivity, 96.9% specificity). Measurement of VCA-IgA demonstrated an AUC of 0.714 (95%CI: 0.631-0.798, 47.5% sensitivity, 95.4% specificity). The combined detection of DKK1 and VCA-IgA demonstrated an AUC of 0.849 (95%CI: 0.783-0.914, 76.3% sensitivity, 95.4% specificity). For patients with early-stage NPC, the detection effect of combined detection of DKK1 and VCA-IgA was much better than that in normal controls, with a significant difference (χ2=23.784, P<0.001). Conclusion Serum DKK1 has potential diagnostic value for NPC. Combined detection of DKK1 and VCA-IgA may aid the early diagnosis of NPC. Key words: Nasopharyngeal neoplasms; Diagnosis; Dickkopf-1; EB viral capsid antigen immunoglo-bulin A