Abstract
BackgroundCancer-testis (CT) antigen genes might promote the progression of multiple myeloma (MM). CT antigens may act as diagnostic and prognostic markers in MM, but their expression levels and clinical implications in this disease are not fully understood. This study measured the expression levels of four CT antigen genes in Chinese patients with MM and explored their clinical implications.MethodsReal-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was used to quantify the expression of MAGE-C1/CT7, MAGE-A3, MAGE-C2/CT10 and SSX-2 mRNA in 256 bone marrow samples from 144 MM patients.ResultsIn the newly diagnosed patients, the positive expression rates were 88.5% for MAGE-C1/CT7, 82.1% for MAGE-C2/CT10, 76.9% for MAGE-A3 and 25.6% for SSX-2. The expression levels and the number of co-expressed CT antigens correlated significantly with several clinical indicators, including the percentage of plasma cells infiltrating the bone marrow, abnormal chromosome karyotypes and the clinical course.ConclusionMAGE-C1/CT7, MAGE-A3, MAGE-C2/CT10 and SSX-2 expression levels provide potentially effective clinical indicators for the auxiliary diagnosis and monitoring of treatment efficacy in MM.
Highlights
Cancer-testis (CT) antigen genes might promote the progression of multiple myeloma (MM)
The results of this study strongly suggested that MAGE-C1/CT7, MAGE-A3 and MAGE-C2/CT10 expression levels could act as clinical indicators for the auxiliary diagnosis and monitoring of treatment efficacy in MM
When the samples of patients who responded to treatment were included, the percentage that expressed MAGE-C1/CT7, MAGE-A3, MAGE-C2/CT10 or SSX-2 was reduced to 67.3% (76/113), 45.1% (51/113), 46.0% (52/113) and 10.6% (12/113), respectively (p < 0.05 for all)
Summary
Cancer-testis (CT) antigen genes might promote the progression of multiple myeloma (MM). CT antigens may act as diagnostic and prognostic markers in MM, but their expression levels and clinical implications in this disease are not fully understood. This study measured the expression levels of four CT antigen genes in Chinese patients with MM and explored their clinical implications. Recent studies have shown that CT antigens are widely expressed at the mRNA and protein levels in MM patients [2], and are correlated with clinical outcomes and shorter survival durations [1,10,11,12], the patterns of expression and clinical implications of CT antigens have not been fully characterized. Additional data on the expression levels of CT antigens in MM may provide useful information to complement recent developments in diagnostic criteria and prognostic factors, and accelerate the development of effective individualized clinical treatment strategies for MM patients
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
