Tenascin-C serum levels and its prognostic power in non-small cell lung cancer
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Abstract
BACKGROUND: Tenascin-C is overexpressed in the stroma of most solid malignancies and may function as a diagnostic tumor marker. This study was conducted to evaluate the potential significance of Tenascin-C as a predictive marker for tumor progression in the sera of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients.
RESULTS: Serum concentration of Tenascin-C is significantly elevated in NSCLC patients compared to healthy controls (p=0.013). The sensitivity of Tenascin-C in detecting NSCLC was 74% at a specificity of 57%. Elevated Tenascin-C serum values are associated with larger tumor size and lymph node involvement (p=0.022 and p=0.036, respectively). The Kaplan-Meyer-curves showed a significant association of Tenascin-C with the patient's overall survival (p=0.004), but not with the recurrence-free survival (p=0.328).
METHODS: We quantified Tenascin-C in the sera of 103 NSCLC patients and 76 healthy blood donors by enzyme-linked immune-absorbance assay tests. Prognostic significance was determined by area under the curve analysis and Youden-index. The results were correlated with clinical, histopathological, and patient survival data (Chi-square test, Kaplan-Meier analysis, log-rank test, multivariate Cox-regression analysis).
CONCLUSION: Although significantly elevated in patients with NSCLC, the sensitivity and specificity of the Tenascin-C serum quantification test was low. However, although failing to be an independent prognosticator in multivariate analysis, the results implicate Tenascin-C as a predictive prognostic marker for NSCLC patients. The data must be further validated in future prospective trials with larger patient cohorts.
Bibliographical data
Original language | English |
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ISSN | 1949-2553 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 12.04.2016 |
PubMed | 26967391 |
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