Preliminary assessment of the possibility of using urokinase uPA and urokinase receptor uPAR as universal diagnostic criteria in patients with colorectal and gastric adenocarcinoma

Abstract

Background. Lack of universal diagnostic parameters that can accurately and reliably diagnose presence of a malignant neoplasm, anticancer drug effectiveness or metastasis development including dormant ones and also to detect the progression or relapse of the disease at an early stage put on the first place studies related to the identification of such markers. Increased secretion and activity of the urokinase type plasminogen activator (uPA), its receptor (uPAR) accompany many types of malignant neoplasms, contributing their progression and metastasis, as well as the emergence of chemoresistance. So today these proteins are promising diagnostic targets in oncology.
 Aim. To evaluate the diagnostic significance of the expression levels of uPA and uPAR in blood serum of patients with colorectal and gastric adenocarcinoma and uPA/uPAR distribution in samples obtained from the primary tumor node, to assess the possibility of their use as universal diagnostic indicators in cancer patients at the stage of primary treatment.
 Materials and methods. The study included patients with colorectal and gastric adenocarcinoma in the amount of 50 people and 25 healthy volunteers. The content of uPA and uPAR in blood serum was assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, the level of expression of the studied proteins in tumor tissue was assessed using immunohistochemical staining with antibodies to uPA and uPAR.
 Results. It was found that in comparison with healthy donors uPA serum concentration was significantly higher in all patients with adenocarcinoma, regardless of gender, and the uPAR content in the blood serum was significantly higher in women. Immunohistochemical staining data showed that the expression of these two proteins in tumor tissue significantly exceeds their expression in normal tissue.
 Conclusion. Based on the obtained data the possibility of using uPA in blood serum as a universal diagnostic criterion in patients with colorectal and gastric adenocarcinoma regardless of gender was shown and uPAR in female patients.