Serum Concentrations Of Tumor Markers Research Articles

Relationship between Serum Tumor-Related Markers and Genetically Modified Rice Expressing Cry1Ab Protein in Sprague-Dawley Rats

Genetically Modified (GM) foods are among the most important achievements of biotechnology. Given the safety importance of transgenic rice, this study was conducted to investigate the effect of GM rice consumption on serum concentrations of tumor markers in rats. In this experimental intervention, we used the blood serum samples from the Biobank taken from 60 males and 60 female Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats fed on three different diets, including rat’s standard food, non-GM rice, and GM rice after 90 day. Tumor markers including Carcinogenic embryonic antigen (CEA), Alpha-Fito protein (AFP), Cancer Antigen 19-9 (CA19-9), Cancer Antigen 125 (CA125), and Cancer Antigen15-3 (CA15-3) were assessed by enzyme-linked immune sorbent assay (ELISA) method. Statistical analysis was conducted via SPSS software. The results show that the concentrations of tumor markers were within the normal range in the SD rats treated with diet, and since the concentration of tumor markers was lower than the acceptable index determined, according to the kit standard in both groups, no obvious carcinogenic effect was found. However, these findings are not enough to make a final decision regarding the safety assessment of GM rice consumption.

68 Ga]Ga-Prostate-Specific Membrane Antigen PET/CT: a novel method for imaging patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

PurposeProstate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) is not only highly expressed on the surface prostate cancer cells but is also elevated during angiogenesis in other cancer cell types, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of using PET/CT imaging with [68Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 in HCC and its impact on patient management.MethodsFifteen patients (13 men and two women; aged 55.6 ± 18.2 years) with HCC were enrolled in this prospective, single-institution study. All patients underwent contrast-enhanced MRI/CT, [68Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT, and histopathological verification of lesions.ResultsNo radiopharmaceutical-related adverse events were noted. Visual interpretation showed increased accumulation of [68Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 in all HCC patients. The tumor-to-liver ratio (TLR) was 3.6 ± 2.1, and the maximal standardized uptake value (SUVmax) was 13.5 ± 7.1. There were no significant differences in the SUVs or TLR between newly diagnosed and recurrent patients. No statistically significant relationship was found between serum concentration of tumor markers (i.e., AFP, CA 19-9, CEA) and PET parameters. Results of the [68Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT changed the treatment strategy in five (33%) patients. PSMA staining showed visible heterogeneity in terms of intensity and distribution: the reaction was weak and only observed in a few vessels in pseudoglandular patterns of HCC, while it was homogeneously strong, with some hot spots, in trabecular patterns of HCC.Conclusion[68Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT can detect PSMA expression in vivo in patients with HCC and is useful for guiding treatment strategies. Further investigation of the clinical utility of this method in HCC is warranted.

Immunological study of CA-15.3 and CEA tumor markers among post-operative breast cancer patients

Breast cancer is a malignant tumor that starts from cells . of the breast. A malignant tumor is a group of cancer cells that may grow into (invade) surrounding tissues or spread (metastasize) to distant areas of the body. The burden of breast cancer is increasing in both developed and developing countries, and in many regions of the world, it is the most frequently occurring malignant disease in women; comprising 18% of all female cancers, and worldwide, breast cancer is the fifth most common cause of cancer mortality. This case-control study was arranged to investigate the possible role of selected genetic and immunological parameters in a random samples of patients with breast cancer in the Al-Diwanyia province. Five ml blood samples obtained from fifty females with breast cancer in post-operative stage attending the outpatient department of psychiatry in Al-Diwaniyia teaching hospital have been recruited in the study and compared to 50 health control females without any cancer types, ages of patients and control were ranged between 18-80 years. 6ml blood samples were assessed for serum measurement CA-15.3 and CEA tumor markers by using Fully-auto chemiluminescence immunoassay – CMIA. In the association between breast cancer and selected immunological markers our results showed a significant association between serum concentration of tumor markers (CA-15.3 and CEA) and breast cancer disease (p<0.05) in comparison with control group. The mean serum CA-15.3 and CEA were significantly higher in patients as compared to both control groups P value <0.0001. The statistical results show no significant association between CA 15-3 and CEA in patients group (p= 0.185) , but moderate positive correlations is appeared (r = 0.2432). In the other hand the association between patients age and selected immunological markers study in our study (CA-15.3 and CEA) and the results showed to the serum concentrations of CA-15.3 and CEA not effected strongly by Age (r= 0.20 and r= 0.114 respectively ).

Efficacy of Huaier granule in patients with breast cancer.

Huaier extract has been demonstrated to exhibit potent anti-tumor effects in various types of cancer cells. However, the clinical benefit of Huaier granule in breast cancer has not been reported. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy of Huaier granule in breast cancer patients. Our study included 284 breast cancer patients treated with or without Huaier granule between January 2005 and October 2016 at Qilu Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, China. Retrospective data obtained included demographics, clinicopathological characteristics, disease-free survival (DFS), serum concentrations of tumor markers, the Karnofsky performance scale (KPS), and incidences of emotional symptoms. DFS was the main outcome measure. Of the patients included, 144 were classified into the control group and 140 into the Huaier group. Baseline characteristics were well balanced between the study arms. Median DFS was 91.43months for control group and 112.61months for Huaier group (hazard ratio (HR) = 2.97, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.57-5.61, p < 0.01). After Huaier granule treatment, the serum levels of tumor markers could be reduced to the normal range. In addition, breast cancer patients with Huaier granule treatment had higher KPS scores and less emotional symptoms. Our data demonstrated that patients orally administrated Huaier granule got longer DFS. Furthermore, Huaier granule could reduce serum tumor markers, improve the functional status, and decrease the incidences of emotional symptoms in breast cancer patients. Therefore, Huaier granule was an effective therapy for women with breast cancer.

TUMOR MARKERS IN HEMODIALYZED PATIENTS

The issue of serum concentrations of tumor markers in hemodialyzed patients is a widely discussed one due to the fact that these patients are usually at high risk of developing concurrent malignancies on one hand and due to the fact that half-time of these markers is strongly influenced by an impaired renal function. This is a literature review focusing on the role of determination of tumor markers such as CA 125, CA 15-3, AFP in hemodialyzed patients.

Modulation of Cytokines in Cancer Patients by Intravenous Ascorbate Therapy.

BackgroundCytokines play an important role in tumor angiogenesis and inflammation. There is evidence in the literature that high doses of ascorbate can reduce inflammatory cytokine levels in cancer patients. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of treatment by intravenous vitamin C (IVC) on cytokines and tumor markers.Material/MethodsWith the availability of protein array kits allowing assessment of many cytokines in a single sample, we measured 174 cytokines and additional 54 proteins and tumor markers in 12 cancer patients before and after a series of IVC treatments.ResultsPresented results show for our 12 patients the effect of treatment resulted in normalization of many cytokine levels. Cytokines that were most consistently elevated prior to treatments included M-CSF-R, Leptin, EGF, FGF-6, TNF-α, β, TARC, MCP-1,4, MIP, IL-4, 10, IL-4, and TGF-β. Cytokine levels tended to decrease during the course of treatment. These include mitogens (EGF, Fit-3 ligand, HGF, IGF-1, IL-21R) and chemo-attractants (CTAC, Eotaxin, E-selectin, Lymphotactin, MIP-1, MCP-1, TARC, SDF-1), as well as inflammation and angiogenesis factors (FGF-6, IL-1β, TGF-1).ConclusionsWe are able to show that average z-scores for several inflammatory and angiogenesis promoting cytokines are positive, indicating that they are higher than averages for healthy controls, and that their levels decreased over the course of treatment. In addition, serum concentrations of tumor markers decreased during the time period of IVC treatment and there were reductions in cMyc and Ras, 2 proteins implicated in being upregulated in cancer.

Tumor marker CA 15-3 in breast cancer patients.

The aim of this study was to determine whether there is a correlation between the serum concentration of the tumor marker CA 15-3 and breast cancer, which has not been proven by the existence of regional and distant metastases, and breast cancer with the presence of regional and distant metastases. The study was a retrospective-prospective study, and was conducted on 100 women aged 40-70 years of age in the period of January 2007 until June 2011, in whom, after surgery, breast cancer was histologically verified, where before the surgery serum tumor marker CA 15-3 levels were established. The serum tumor marker CA 15-3 concentrations are determined in all patients after radiological diagnosis of suspected breast cancer (radiological findings concluded as BI RADS 4 and 5). The study excluded patients with liver cirrhosis, liver cancer and lung cancer. The study group consisted of patients with metastatic breast cancer, and the control group of patients with breast cancer comprised those shown to be without verified metastatic disease. To calculate the correlation, Spearman's correlation coefficient was used. A difference in p values of less than 0.05 (p<0.05) was considered statistically significant. The serum tumor marker CA 15-3 was elevated in all patients with proven remote or clubbing metastasis in 35.5% of patients with metastasis spreading to regional lymph nodes. There is a significant correlation between serum concentrations of the tumor marker CA 15-3 and the presence of metastasis, and serum concentrations of tumor markers and the dissemination of the underlying disease.

A 72-year-old Patient with Dermoid Cyst

<b>Introduction:</b><b> </b>It has been reported that the risk of malignant transformation is doubled in patients with mature cystic teratoma aged over 50 years. It is rare to encounter benign forms of mature cystic teratoma in elderly women. We aimed to report a 72-year-old woman with a benign cystic teratoma. A 72-year-old woman detected by ultrasonography to have a pelvic mass with a size of 14x12x10 cm was admitted to our department for detailed investigations. A mature cystic teratoma was diagnosed on the basis of transvaginal ultrasonography, magnetic resonance imaging, and serum concentrations of tumor markers. Postoperative pathology examination confirmed the diagnosis. This report once again showed that although mature cystic teratoma is rare in elderly women, it still occurs.

Diagnostic utility of pleural fluid and serum markers in differentiation between malignant and non-malignant pleural effusions

Study objectiveTo evaluate the diagnostic value of four different tumor markers: cancer antigen 125 (CA-125), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), cytokeratin 19 fragment (CYFRA 21-1) and neuron specific enolase (NSE) in patients with malignant and non-malignant pleural effusion.Material and methodsOne hundred and two patients with pleural effusion treated in the University Hospital in Warsaw between 2001 and 2003 were studied. They underwent an extensive, diagnostic work-up in order to determine the pleural effusion etiology. Patients with known pleural fluid etiology were labeled as the study group and submitted for further analysis. Pleural fluid and serum samples for CA-125, CEA, CYFRA 21-1 and NSE measurements were collected during the first thoracentesis, centrifuged, and frozen until further use. Pleural fluid and serum concentration of tumor markers were assessed by electrochemiluminescence methods using commercial kits.Results74 patients (32 M, 42 F; mean age 65 ± 14 years) composed the final study group. Exudative pleural effusion was found in 62 patients; of these 36 were malignant (48.6% of all effusions), 20 parapneumonic (or pleural empyema), and 6 tuberculous. In 12 patients, pleural transudate was diagnosed. The highest diagnostic sensitivity for malignant pleural effusion was found for NSE (94.4% and 80.6% in the pleural fluid and serum, respectively). However, the specificity of NSE measurement was relatively low (36.1% and 47.4% in pleural fluid and serum, respectively). The most specific markers of malignant pleural fluid etiology were pleural fluid CYFRA 21-1 and CEA levels (92.1% and 92.1%, respectively). CA-125 was found to be the most specific serum marker of pleural malignancies (78.9%). The AUC for combined pleural markers was 0.89, combined serum markers 0.82, combined ratio pleural/serum markers 0.88.ConclusionsThere are significant differences between the diagnostic value of various pleural fluid and serum markers. Overall, pleural fluid markers are superior to serum markers in determining the pleural fluid etiology. A combination of two or more tumor markers may help improve their diagnostic accuracy. Pleural fluid and serum measurements of different tumor markers play a limited role in the differentiation between malignant and non-malignant pleural effusions.

Hepatocellular Carcinoma in a Male Patient with Early Stage (Stage I) Primary Biliary Cirrhosis

The true incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) remains undetermined due to limited epidemiological studies and some conflicting results. Some studies indicated that in PBC, male gender, cirrhosis, hepatitis C virus (HCV) superinfection, and history of blood transfusion are associated with the development of HCC, and the occurrence of HCC in the early stage of PBC is rare. We present herein a 75-year-old male patient with stage I PBC who developed oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma, followed by HCC and duodenal adenocarcinoma without hepatitis B or C virus infection. While it could be argued that the concurrence of HCC and stage I-PBC in our patient was coincidental, patients with early stage PBC should be strictly followed up as cirrhotic patients with PBC by monitoring the serum concentration of tumor markers for HCC and appropriate imaging methods.