Evaluation of serum ATX and LPA as potential diagnostic biomarkers in patients with pancreatic cancer

Jiang Chen,Hongyu Li,Xiaozhong Guo,Wenda Xu

doi:10.1186/s12876-021-01635-6

Jiang Chen, Hongyu Li + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.1186/s12876-021-01635-6

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Abstract

BackgroundPancreatic cancer (PC) is a devastating disease that has a poor prognosis and a total 5-year survival rate of around 5%. The poor prognosis of PC is due in part to a lack of suitable biomarkers that can allow early diagnosis. The lysophospholipase autotaxin (ATX) and its product lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) play an essential role in disease progression in PC patients and are associated with increased morbidity in several types of cancer. In this study, we evaluated both the potential role of serum LPA and ATX as diagnostic markers in PC and their prognostic value for PC either alone or in combination with CA19-9.MethodsATX, LPA and CA19-9 levels were evaluated using ELISA of serum obtained from PC patients (n = 114) healthy volunteers (HVs: n = 120) and patients with benign pancreatic diseases (BPDs: n = 94).ResultsSerum levels of ATX, LPA and CA19-9 in PC patients were substantially higher than that for BPD patients or HVs (p < 0.001). The sensitivity of LPA in early phase PC was 91.74% and the specificity of ATX was 80%. The levels of ATX, LPA and CA19-9 were all substantially higher for early stage PC patients compared to levels in serum from BPD patients and HVs. The diagnostic efficacy of CA19-9 for PC was significantly enhanced by the addition of ATX and LPA (p = 0.0012).ConclusionMeasurement of LPA and ATX levels together with CA19-9 levels can be used for early detection of PC and diagnosis of PC in general.

Highlights

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is a devastating disease that has a poor prognosis and a total 5-year survival rate of around 5%
Patients Serum samples were gathered from 328 individuals, who were divided into three groups: Group A had 114 PC patients, Groups B and Group C served as cohort control groups and comprised 120 healthy volunteers (HVs) and 94 patients with benign pancreatic diseases (BPDs), respectively
Characteristics of PC and BPD patients and healthy volunteers Overall, 120 HVs, 94 patients with BPDs and 114 PC patients were enrolled in this study

Summary

Introduction

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is a devastating disease that has a poor prognosis and a total 5-year survival rate of around 5%. The poor prognosis of PC is due in part to a lack of suitable biomarkers that can allow early diagnosis. The lysophospholipase autotaxin (ATX) and its product lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) play an essential role in disease progression in PC patients and are associated with increased morbidity in several types of cancer. Diagnosis and improved treatments have together contributed to increased survival rates for several types of cancer over the recent decades. In patients with resect-able tumors, the 5-year survival rate for PC ranges from 15 to 20%. For those PC patients presenting with unresectable tumors and distant metastases, the 5-year. New, more sensitive biomarkers that can be used either alone or in combination with previously defined biomarkers are needed to increase the likelihood of early PC detection [6]

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