Detection Of CA125 Research Articles

Determining the CA19-9 concentration that best predicts the presence of CT-occult unresectable features in patients with pancreatic cancer: A population-based analysis

BackgroundSerum CA19-9 concentration may be useful in triaging patients with pancreatic cancer for more intensive staging investigations. Our aim was to identify the CA19-9 cut-point with the greatest accuracy for detecting unresectable features not identified by CT scan, and to examine the performance of this and other cut-points in predicting the outcome of staging laparoscopy (SL). MethodsPatients with pancreatic cancer were drawn from two state-wide cancer registries between 2009 and 2011. We used classification and regression tree (CART) analysis to identify the CA19-9 cut-point which best predicted the presence of imaging-occult unresectable features, and compared its performance with that of a number of alternative cut-points. We then used logistic regression to test the association between CA19-9 concentration and detection of unresectable features in patients who underwent SL. ResultsFrom the CART analysis, the optimal CA19-9 cut-point was 440 U/mL. CA19-9 ≥ 150 U/mL had a similar Youden Index, but greater sensitivity (69% versus 47%). This remained true for those who had obstructive jaundice at the time of CA19-9 sampling. CA19-9 concentration greater than or equal to 110 U/mL, 150 U/mL and 200 U/mL was associated with significantly greater odds of unresectable features being detected during SL. ConclusionElevated serum CA19-9 concentration is a valid marker for CT-occult unresectable features; the most clinically appropriate cut-point appears to be ≥ 150 U/mL irrespective of the presence of jaundice. Clinical trials which evaluate the value of CA19-9 in the staging algorithm for pancreatic cancer are needed before it is routinely used in clinical practice.

Serum Carboxypeptidase N1 Serves as a Potential Biomarker Complementing CA15-3 for Breast Cancer.

The incidence and mortality of breast cancer are increasing annually. Breast cancer seriously threatens women's health and quality of life. We aimed to measure the clinical value of CPN1, a new serum marker of breast cancer and to evaluate the efficacy of CPN1 in combination with CA15-3. Seventy samples of breast cancer with lymph node metastasis, seventy-three samples of nonmetastatic breast cancer and twenty-five samples of healthy human serum were collected. Serum CA15-3 concentration was determined by Roche Elecsys, and serum CPN1 concentration was determined by ELISA. In breast cancer patients, serum CPN1 concentration was positively correlated with tumour size, clinical stage and CA15-3 concentration (r = 0.376, P<0.0001). ROC curve analysis showed that the optimal critical concentration of CPN1 for breast cancer diagnosis was 32.8pg/ml. The optimal critical concentration of CPN1 in the diagnosis of metastatic breast cancer was 66.121pg/ml. CPN1 has a greater diagnostic ability for breast cancer (AUCCA15-3=0.702 vs. AUCCPN1=0.886, P<0.0001) and metastatic breast cancer (AUCCA15-3=0.629 vs. AUCCPN1=0.887, P<0.0001) than CA15-3, and the combined detection of CA15-3 and CPN1 can improve the diagnostic efficiency for breast cancer (AUCCA15-3+CPN1=0.916) and for distinguishing between metastatic and non-metastatic breast cancer (AUCCA15-3+CPN1=0.895). CPN1 can be used as a new tumour marker to diagnose and evaluate the invasion and metastasis of breast cancer. The combined detection of CPN1 and CA15-3 is more accurate and has a certain value in clinical application.

Aptamer-gold nanozyme based competitive lateral flow assay for rapid detection of CA125 in human serum

For several decades, point-of-care technology (POCT) has proven its potential regarding swift and cost-efficient detection of analytes. Lateral flow assay is a highly popular POC technology that needs improvisation to increase its sensitivity, cost effectiveness and quantification so that it becomes more user friendly and affordable technology. In this context, the present study has investigated the use of aptamers and nanozymes together for the first time in developing an Aptamer-nanozyme lateral flow assay (ALFA). The present study uses a specific aptamer for CA125 as capture reagent and peroxidase mimetic gold nanoparticles as label for detection of CA125 in human serum through developed competitive ALFA. The assay was specific and has a limit of detection of 5.21 U/mL. The ALFA test was in house validated for its precision, recovery and showed a significant correlation with established CA125 chemiluminiscent ELISA with P-value<0.0001. In summary, this assay quantitatively detects an analyte by using an aptamer and peroxidase mimetic gold nanoparticles that ensures circumventing the use of antibodies and incorporating enzyme mimetic activity in assay systems.

Comparison of image features and diagnostic value of color Doppler ultrasound and two-dimensional ultrasound in the diagnosis of ovarian sex cord-stromal tumors.

Clinical value of color Doppler ultrasound and two-dimensional ultrasound in the diagnosis of ovarian sex cord-stromal tumors (OSCSTs) were explored. A total of 91 patients with positive OSCSTs admitted to Sichuan Provincial Hospital for Women and Children from May 2014 to June 2018 were selected as research objects. There were 48 patients diagnosed by color Doppler ultrasound technology as the color Doppler group and 43 patients diagnosed by two-dimensional ultrasound technology as the two-dimensional ultrasound group. Results of ultrasound images in the two groups were compared, and the diagnostic value of two ultrasound techniques combined with detection of CA125 and CA199 for OSCSTs was compared. The real internal echo of color Doppler ultrasound was significantly higher than that of two-dimensional ultrasound (P<0.05). The blood flow signal of color Doppler ultrasound was significantly higher than that of two-dimensional ultrasound (P<0.05). The diagnostic sensitivity and diagnostic coincidence rate of color Doppler ultrasound for lymph node metastasis of OSCSTs were significantly higher than those of two-dimensional ultrasound (P<0.05). Color Doppler ultrasound combined with CA125 and CA199 detection has higher accuracy than two-dimensional ultrasound combination. In conclusion, both color Doppler ultrasound and two-dimensional ultrasound are used to observe OSCSTs for early diagnosis, but the sensitivity and diagnostic coincidence rate of color Doppler ultrasound for clinical diagnosis of OSCSTs are higher than those of two-dimensional ultrasound, so color Doppler ultrasound has higher diagnostic value in OSCSTs.

Circulating lncRNA DANCR as a potential auxillary biomarker for the diagnosis and prognostic prediction of colorectal cancer

Studies have shown that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play vital roles in the development of cancer, including colorectal cancer (CRC). Our purpose is to validate the diagnostic value of serum differentiation antagonizing non-protein coding RNA (DANCR) in CRC by focusing on its expression and clinical application. lncRNA expression profiles of CRC patients were obtained and analyzed by repurposing the publically available microarray data. Tissue or serum specimens were obtained from 40 patients with primary CRC, 10 patients with recurrent CRC, 40 patients with colorectal polyps, and 40 healthy controls. It was found that DANCR level in the CRC tissue and serum was significantly increased, and serum DANCR expression was decreased in post-operative patients as compared with that in pre-treatment patients and recurrent patients. In addition, serum DANCR expression was significantly correlated with different TNM stages. Correlation analysis of DANCR and other diagnostic indicators showed that the serum DANCR expression level was significantly correlated with CA199 but not with CEA in CRC patients. As for diagnostic efficiency by ROC analysis, the area under the curve (AUC) of serum DANCR was higher than that of CEA and CA199 in CRC group vs. colorectal polyp group. Simultaneous detection of DANCR, CEA and CA199 yielded the highest sensitivity and AUC as compared with either of them alone. Taken together, serum DANCR was up-regulated in CRC patients and high expression of DANCR may prove to be a potential biomarker for the diagnosis of CRC.

Magnetic bead-amplified voltammetric detection for carbohydrate antigen 125 with enzyme labels using aptamer-antigen-antibody sandwiched assay

Conventional affinity assays used for carbohydrate antigen (CA125) detection are still problematic due to the heterogeneity in the structure and molecular nature of CA125. This makes the conventional antibody based immunoassay difficult to detect CA125 levels accurately in clinical samples which demands the need for the development of new affinity-based detection without compromising specificity and sensitivity. In this study, for the specific detection of CA125, a unique hybrid affinity biosensor involving DNA aptamers and monoclonal antibodies in a sandwich assay format was developed. To suppress the electrode biofouling from interfering blood proteins, CA125 in human blood/serum samples were specifically captured and transferred to the electrode using monoclonal antibodies conjugated magnetic beads (MBs). The affinity binding between CA125 and the protein binding aptamer was investigated using electrochemical methods and computational modelling. Two different electrochemical detection modalities, viz., electrocatalytic activity of signaling enzymes conjugated to MBs and utilizing external redox probe in the solution, have been evaluated for monitoring the immuno-complex formation CA125 detection. In human serum samples, a sensitivity of 0.017 mA U mL−1 and the detection limit of 0.08 U mL-1 for CA125 is demonstrated. The immunosensor was able to detect CA125 levels with a broad clinical range of 2 U/mL to 100 U/mL.

Label-free electrochemical immunosensor for detection of oncomarker CA125 in serum

This paper reports the construction of a new electrochemical immunosensor for detection of oncomarker CA125 for diagnosis and monitoring of ovarian cancer. The platform was developed using screen-printed carbon electrodes modified with poly(3-hydroxyphenylacetic acid) and anti-CA125 as probe for evaluate the biomolecular interactions (anti-CA125:CA125) onto the solid surface. Current response of the system has a linear relationship of anti-CA125 concentration in the range of 5 to 80 U mL−1 with a limit of detection of 1.45 U mL−1, discriminating between negative and positive serum. The immunosensor was successfully applied to determination of CA-125 in real biological samples using differential pulse voltammetry (DPV), surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The results showed the developed immunosensor is versatile, easily integrated to the point of care applications, being an interesting platform to ovarian cancer diagnose in complex samples.

Diagnostic Value of lncRNA ROR in Differentiating Ovarian Cancer Patients.

The current study aims to investigate the prognostic value of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) ROR in ovarian cancer patients. Sixty cases of ovarian cancer patients were collected from January 2017 to December 2017. The expression of lncRNA ROR in the plasma and tissues of ovarian cancer was detected by RT-qPCR. The relationship between the expression of lncRNA ROR and the clinicopathological characteristics was analyzed. The expression of lncRNA ROR in the plasma of ovarian cancer patients was significantly higher than that in healthy controls. Compared with that in the adjacent non-cancerous tissues, the level of lncRNA ROR was significantly enhanced in the ovarian cancer tissues. Further study showed that the expression of lncRNA ROR was closely related to FIGO stage, tumor grade, and lymph node metastasis. Pearson's correlation assay indicated that lncRNA ROR positively correlated with CA125 in ovarian cancer patients. Moreover, the combined detection of plasma lncRNA ROR and CA125 had the highest value in the diagnosis of ovarian cancer compared to that of lncRNA ROR or CA125 alone. The enhanced level of plasma lncRNA ROR could be used as a potential biomarker for the diagnosis of ovarian cancer.

Serum miR-1290 and miR-1246 as Potential Diagnostic Biomarkers of Human Pancreatic Cancer.

Background: Pancreatic cancer (PC) is a highly malignant tumor with no effective early diagnostic biomarkers. This study was performed to screen and identify serum microRNAs (miRNAs) as noninvasive biomarkers for PC diagnosis.Methods: Two upregulated miRNAs were selected by integrated analysis of three independent GEO datasets. Then, the expressions of two miRNAs in serum were determined by quantitative reverse-transcription PCR among 120 PC patients, 40 benign disease controls and 40 healthy controls. The correlation between serum miRNAs and clinical characteristics was analyzed. The diagnostic utility of miRNAs was compared to CA19-9 using receiver operating characteristic curve analysis.Results: We discovered miR-1290 and miR-1246 were upregulated in PC patients through GEO datasets analysis. Serum miR-1290 and miR-1246 expression levels were elevated in PC patients compared to all controls and dramatically decreased after tumor resection (all P<0.001). The area under the curve (AUC) for miR-1290 was larger than miR-1246 and CA19-9 (miR-1290: 0.91; miR-1246: 0.81; CA19-9: 0.82). The combined diagnosis of individual or both miRNAs with CA19-9 was more effective for discriminating PC from all controls than the single CA19-9 assay (miR-1290+CA19-9: 0.96, miR-1246+CA19-9: 0.93, miR-1290+miR-1246+CA19-9: 0.97). The abundance of serum miR-1290 and miR-1246 was associated with tumor stage and size respectively and logistic modeling proved that both of them were independent risk factors for PC.Conclusion: Serum miR-1290 and miR-1246 might be promising biomarkers for PC diagnosis and the combined detection of CA19-9, together with miR-1290 or miR-1246, could improve the diagnostic accuracy of PC.

Is there a correlation between inflammatory markers and coagulation parameters in women with advanced ovarian endometriosis?

BackgroundEndometriosis is defined as a chronic inflammatory disease. Recent studies have shown that increased coagulation parameters including fibrinogen and platelets are associated with endometriosis. The objective of this study was to determine the levels of inflammatory markers and coagulation parameters and their correlations in women with endometriomas compared to those with benign ovarian cysts or normal pelvic anatomy.MethodsBetween June 2015 and June 2017, a total of 548 women who underwent laparoscopic/laparotomic surgery for ovarian endometriomas (OMA group, n = 226), non-endometriosis benign ovarian cysts (Cyst group, n = 210) and tubal reanastomosis (Control group, n = 112) were recruited in this study. Inflammatory markers including c-reactive protein (CRP), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and coagulation parameters including platelet count, thrombin time (TT), prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time, and plasma fibrinogen as well as CA-125 were determined.ResultsCompared with Cyst group and Control group, TT and PT in OMA group were significantly shorter and plasma fibrinogen levels were significantly higher (P < 0.05). Moreover, the levels of plasma fibrinogen were positively correlated with CRP, NLR and PLR (P < 0.05). In addition, the confidence intervals for the area under the curve (AUC) for CA-125 × fibrinogen were significantly higher than those for CA-125 (0.904–0.952 vs. 0.899–0.949) in the diagnosis of endometrioma.ConclusionsThese results indicate that women with endometriomas demonstrate a hypercoagulable status due to the inflammatory nature of endometriosis. The combined determination for CA-125 and fibrinogen demonstrate a higher area under the curve than the single detection of CA-125 in those with endometriomas compared to these with benign ovarian cysts.Trial registrationThis study was approved by the Human Ethics Committee of the Women’s Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University (No.20170174) and all women provided written informed consent.

A simple MWCNTs@paper biosensor for CA19-9 detection and its long-term preservation by vacuum freeze drying

This paper introduces a cheap simple MWCNTs@paper biosensor for the detection of CA19-9, which is a biomarker of pancreatic cancer. By adding the CA19-9 antibody to the surface of MWCNTs which are deposited on the microporous filter paper, the correlation between the concentration of CA19-9 and resistance of biosensor element was linear due to the site-specific binding of antigen and antibody. The detection range is wide (0 U/mL–at least 1000 U/mL), and even in the low concentration of CA19-9, the linearity remains satisfying. Based on this property, it could be used for the detection of early-stage pancreatic cancer. Besides, this research originally introduces a vacuum freeze-drying method for the long-term preservation of biosensor, prolonging its storage time from 3 h to at least 7 days, which signifcantly promoted its value in practical application. One piece of the MWCNTs@paper biosensor only cost $2 (about 30 times cheaper than ELISA) approximately, and the detection speed is satisfying (2 h, 12 times faster than ELISA), which will possibly increase its opportunity of mass production and clinical practice.

Gold-nanoparticle-decorated boron-doped graphene/BDD electrode for tumor marker sensor

A boron-doped graphene (BG)/boron-doped diamond (BDD) composite film was obtained by continuously growing BDD and BG by chemical vapor deposition. In this process, the sp3 CC bonds in the diamond phase structure are directly converted into sp2 CC bonds in graphene to combine the two carbon materials, while BG nanosheets are vertically grown on the exposed planes of BDD crystals. These process features impart the vertical BG (VBG)/BDD film a large specific surface area and high electrocatalytic activity, resulting in an electroactive surface area of 2.35 cm2. Electrodeposition can be used to load a large number of Au nanoparticles (NPs) on the VBG/BDD electrode. The Au-VBG/BDD electrode was used to construct an immunosensor capable of simultaneously quantifying carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and carcinoma antigen 125 (CA 125) at concentrations of 0.5–100 pg mL–1 and 0.5–100 mU mL–1, respectively, with corresponding detection limits of 0.15 pg mL–1 and 0.09 mU mL–1. This method is suitable for the practical detection of CEA, CA125, and other tumor markers in human body fluids, allowing early cancer diagnostics and timely treatment.

Label-assisted chemical adsorption triggered conversion of electroactivity of sensing interface to achieve the Ag/AgCl process for ultrasensitive detection of CA 19-9

Efficient strategies in enhancing sensitivity are pivotal to ultrasensitive detection of tumor markers. In this work, based on the strategy of label-assisted chemical adsorption triggered conversion of electroactivity of sensing interface, a Ag/AgCl process was achieved to enhance sensitivity of the constructed sandwich-type amperometric immunosensor for ultrasensitive detection of carbohydrate antigen 19–9 (CA19-9). Briefly, polydopamine-Ag nanoparticles (PDA-Ag NPs), as signal precursor, combined with labeling antibody were served as labels and graphene oxide-melamine (GO-MA) substrate with chemical absorption capacity was applied as smart sensing interface. After successfully incubating labels, there was primitively no current response due to the poor conductivity between labels and electrode. However, in the presence of H2O2, Ag NPs from labels can be etched into Ag ions, which were adsorbed by GO-MA to form GO-MA-Ag as electroactive substrate. Then, the substrate exhibited a sharp and stable electrochemistry peak of solid-state Ag/AgCl process in the buffer containing KCl. The sensitivity toward detection of CA19-9 was notably enhanced based on the appearance of sharp peak. Under optimum conditions, the designed immunosensor demonstrated a wide working range from 0.0001 to 100 U mL−1 and an ultralow detection limit 0.032 mU mL−1. Thus, utilizing this strategy to construct immunosensor was highly promising in clinical diagnosis for ultrasensitive detection of tumor makers.

Ethnic disparity in clinical performance between multivariate index assay and CA125 in detection of ovarian malignancy.

Aim: Based on evidence that African-American (AA) women have lower CA125 values than Caucasian (C) women, we investigated this to see if this disparity would have an impact on ovarian cancer detection using CA125 and multivariate index assay (MIA). Materials & methods: Serum from two prospective trials of 1029 (274 malignancies [250 C/24AA]) were analyzed for CA125 and MIA results. Clinical performance was calculated. Results: Sensitivity of MIA in Caucasian women was 93.2%, 74.4% for CA125 at the ACOG approved cut-off level of 200 U/ml cutoff, and 80.4% using the 2007, Dearking 67 U/ml cutoff. In AA American women, MIA sensitivity was 79.2%, 33.3% for CA125 at the ACOG approved cut-off levels and 62.5% at the 2007, Dearking 67 U/ml cutoff. Conclusion: Our results support that CA125 in AA women with adnexal masses has lower sensitivity than MIA no matter what the cutoff value is. Implementation of MIA in evaluation of adnexal masses should increase sensitivity of detection of malignancy compared with CA125, particularly in AA women.

Combined detection of CA19-9 and B7-H4 in the diagnosis and prognosis of pancreatic cancer.

There were no specific indicators for the early detection of pancreatic cancer. To analyze the diagnostic and prognostic value of CA19-9 plus B7-H4 detection in preoperative serum or surgical tissues of patients with pancreatic cancer. One hundred and eighty-eight patients with pancreatic cancer and 25 controls were recruited. Their preoperative serum CA19-9 level was detected chemiluminescently, and B7-H4 expression in pancreatic cancer tissues was assessed immunohistochemically. The diagnostic and prognostic utility of detecting CA19-9, B7-H4 and their combination was evaluated. CA19-9 and B7-H4 levels were significantly upregulated in patients with pancreatic cancer compared with those in controls. The diagnostic value of combined CA19-9 plus B7-H4 detection was markedly better than that achieved from their separate detection analyzed with receiver operating characteristic curve. Sensitivity and specificity of the combined detection in the pancreatic cancer group was significantly increased compared with single detection. B7-H4 detection showed better prognostic value than detection of CA19-9. However, CA19-9 had high sensitivity and low specificity, while B7-H4 showed the opposite. The sensitivity of the combined prognosis was not significantly different to B7-H4 alone. The combined detection of CA19-9 and B7-H4 could become a new method for the clinical diagnosis and prognosis of pancreatic cancer.

Abstract 912: Macrophage inhibitory factor (MIF), osteopontin (OPN) and anti-interleukin-8 (IL-8) autoantibodies (AAb) complement CA125 for detection of early-stage ovarian cancer

Abstract Background: Early detection of ovarian cancer promises to reduce mortality. At present, only 20 percent of ovarian cancer is found in early stage (I-II). CA125 is found in sera from approximately 60% of patients with early stage disease. Greater sensitivity could be observed with a panel of blood tests. Methods: A panel of 10 antigen biomarkers (MIF, Leptin, IL-6, IL-8, TNFa, OPN, FGF2, HE4, TGFa and a panel of autoantibodies (AAbs) against 12 antigens (IL-8, MDM2, c-myc, PLAT, EpCAM, HOXA7, ENO1, PDI, HSPA5, HSPA8, ANXA2, Cathepsin D) were analyzed in sera of 77 ovarian cancer patients with early stage (I-II), 50 patients with late stage (III-IV), and 216 healthy women from the Normal Risk Ovarian Cancer Screening Study (NROSS) using Luminex-based immunoassays. Serum levels of serum tumor marker CA-125 were routinely measured in all patients using a Roche assay. The most promising markers (CA125, MIF, OPN, and anti-IL-8 autoantibodies were validated using an independent panel with sera from 69 early stage and 50 late ovarian cancer patients and 200 healthy controls. Result: Serum level of CA125, MIF, OPN and IL-8 AAb were elevated in early stage (I-II) and late stage (III-IV) ovarian cancer patients compared with healthy controls. Analyzing the positive biomarkers in combination with CA125 increased detection of early stage disease from 62% with CA125 alone to 92% a panel of CA125, MIF, OPN and IL-8 AAb at 98% specificity. For patients with late stage disease sensitivity increased from 90% to 98% with the panel. Complementarity of CA125 with MIF, OPN and IL-8 AAb was confirmed with an independent validation set, where sensitivity for early stage disease was improved from 84% to 91% at 98% specificity. Conclusion: MIF, OPN and IL8 AAb could be used in combination with CA125 to distinguish ovarian cancer patients from health controls with high sensitivity. Citation Format: Jing Guo, Wei-lei Yang, Joseph Celestino, Karen Lu, Anna E. Lokshin, Zhen Lu, Robert C. Bast. Macrophage inhibitory factor (MIF), osteopontin (OPN) and anti-interleukin-8 (IL-8) autoantibodies (AAb) complement CA125 for detection of early-stage ovarian cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 912.

An electrochemical aptasensing platform for carbohydrate antigen 125 based on the use of flower-like gold nanostructures and target-triggered strand displacement amplification.

An electrochemical aptasensing method is described for the determination of the biomarker CA125. It combines aptamer recognition and target-triggered strand displacement amplification. Flower like gold nanostructures were electrodeposited on a screen-printed carbon electrode to increase the sensor surface, to assemble more toehold-containing hairpin probe 1 (Hp1), and to improve the accessibility for DNA strands. Under the optimal conditions, this assay has a linear response in the 0.05 to 50ng•mL-1 CA125 concentration range, with a low detection limit of 5.0pg•mL-1. This method is specific and stable. It was successfully applied to the detection of CA125 in spiked biological samples, with recoveries between 82.5% and 104.1%. Graphical abstract.

Diagnostic value of detection of peripheral blood human telomerase reverse transcriptase mRNA and four tumor markers in patients with gastric cancer

Objective To evaluation the value of single and combined detection of peripheral blood human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) mRNA and tumor markers carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), carbohydrate antigen 72-4 (CA72-4), CA19-9 and CA125 in the diagnosis of gastric cancer. Methods A total of 48 patients diagnosed with gastric cancer from June 2017 to October 2018 in Baotou Tumor Hospital were enrolled in the study group. Fifty healthy subjects were selected as healthy control group. The peripheral venous blood samples were collected from all subjects. After the synthesis of hTERT cDNA by reverse transcription, real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used for the amplification of hTERT gene fragment. The tumor markers CEA, CA72-4, CA19-9 and CA125 were quantitatively detected by electrochemiluminescence instrument. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, positive likelihood ratio and negative likelihood ratio of individual markers or joint detection were calculated. The sensitivity and specificity of joint testing items were compared. Results There were statistically significant differences in the positive rates of hTERT mRNA (P 0.05). The expression of hTERT mRNA was correlated with TMN stage, lymph node metastasis and distant metastasis (all P 0.05). The results of diagnostic indices showed that the hTERT mRNA had high sensitivity (84.8%), specificity (82.7%), accuracy (83.7%), positive predictive value (81.2%) and positive likelihood ratio (4.90). CA72-4 also had high specificity (61.2%), accuracy (64.3%), and positive predictive value (45.8%), which were second only to the hTERT mRNA. The diagnostic performance of CA125 combined with CEA, CA72-4, CA19-9 and peripheral blood hTERT mRNA was not significantly different from the latter four combined detection (P > 0.05). The sensitivity and specificity of combined detection of traditional tumor markers CEA, CA72-4 and CA19-9 were 62.5% and 80.0%. The sensitivity and specificity of combined detection of hTERT mRNA, CEA, CA72-4 and CA19-9 could be change to 90.0% and 67.5%. The difference in sensitivity between the two combined detection groups was statistically significant (P = 0.019), and the difference in specificity was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). Conclusion The comprehensive evaluation index of peripheral blood hTERT mRNA is better than the traditional gastric tumor markers, and it is expected to become a new marker for the diagnosis of gastric cancer. Key words: Stomach neoplasms; Diagnosis; Telomerase reverse transcriptase; Tumor markers, biological; Polymerase chain reaction

Diagnostic value of combined serum CA19-9 with CT scanning in patients with pancreatic cancer

Objective To evaluate the diagnostic value of combined serum tumor marker CA19-9 with CT scanning in the patients with pancreatic cancer. Methods A total of 89 patients with suspected pancreatic cancer diagnosed by CT scanning were selected at our hospital from May 2012 to December 2016.The detected results of serum CA19-9 were recorded, and the specificity, sensitivity, positive and negative predictive value of serum CA19-9 in the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer were statistically calculated and analyzed.The correlations between the pre- and post-operative serum levels of CA19-9 and the survival time in pancreatic cancer patients undergoing operation were analyzed. Results The specificity, sensitivity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of serum CA19-9 combined with CT scanning in the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer were 97.2%, 86.4%, 100.0%, 94.0% respectively.With the increase of preoperative serum levels of CA19-9, the resection rate and median postoperative survival time gradually decreased.Patients with normal serum levels of CA19-9 after operation had longer postoperative survival time than patients with high postoperative serum levels of CA19-9. Conclusions As one of the tumor markers of pancreatic cancer, serum CA19-9 detection has a high diagnostic sensitivity.Combined with CT scanning, serum CA19-9 detection can significantly improve the diagnostic accuracy of pancreatic cancer.Serum CA19-9 can also be used as a mean of efficacy evaluation after radical resection of pancreatic cancer. Key words: Pancreatic neoplasms; Antigens, neoplasm

Properties of Anti-CA125 antibody layers on screen-printed carbon electrodes modified by gold and platinum nanostructures

In antibody-based biosensors, the nature of the underlying electrode can significantly influence the binding strength of capture antibodies, their association constant and stable. Here, screen printed carbon electrodes (SPCE) have been electroplated with gold (Au) or platinum (Pt) nanostructures and used as a platform for the immobilisation of antibodies for the important cancer biomarker CA125(MUC16). The sensor performs very effectively in human blood plasma with Limits of Detection, LOD, of 419 ± 31 ngmL−1 and 386 ± 27 ngmL−1 for electrochemically deposited Au and Pt nanostructured interfaces, respectively. Electroplating allows the surface roughness, and hence the total number of moles of antibody immobilised per unit area to be controlled. The deposited Au and Pt layers provide a suitable microenvironment for anti-CA125 adhesion and allow CA125 to be detected. For the Au, the electrochemically active surface area was 0.382 ± 0.03 cm2 but is strikingly larger for Pt, 3.250 ± 0.25 cm2. For the Au-SPCE, the standard heterogeneous electron transfer rate constant (ko) has been determined by fitting the complete cyclic voltammograms after each modification step. The ko decreased from 185.0 ± 3.7 × 10−5 cm s−1 to 81 ± 9.5 × 10−5 cm s−1 after anti-CA125 immobilisation, i.e., antibody immobilisation modulates the electron transfer rate rather than simply reducing the electrochemically active area. Significantly, after BSA blocking to prevent non-specific adsorption onto areas of the electrode not modified by anti-CA125, ko decreased to 6.2 ± 0.87 × 10−5 cm s−1.In comparison, on Pt-SPCE the ko decreased from 132 ± 4.6 × 10−5 to 65 ± 8.5 × 10−5 cm s−1 after anti-CA125 immobilisation and decreased further to 5.1 ± 0.19 × 10−5 cm s−1 after BSA blocking. Significantly, on the high-surface-area Au-SPCE electrode, antigen binding does not statistically change the rate of heterogeneous electron transfer. In contrast, at the Pt-modified SPCE, CA125 binding causes the ko to decrease by a factor of two – to 2.5 ± 0.8 × 10−5 cm s−1, making Pt-SPCE electrodes coated with anti-CA125 promising for CA125 detection.