calca-protein--human and Adenocarcinoma

Procalcitonin (PCT) is widely used for the diagnosis of bacterial infections. The aim of this study was to evaluate PCT as a tumor and as a prognostic marker in patients with primary lung cancer.. We retrospectively performed a PCT dosage in the frozen serum samples of 147 patients with pulmonary neoplasia for whom a test of neuron-specific enolase (NSE) had been conducted at the time of diagnosis.. We show that a PCT serum level above 0.15 ng/mL was independently linked to the presence of a neuroendocrine component in the tumor (HR=5.809 95% CI [1.695-19.908] p: 0005). Thus, median PCT serum levels were significantly more elevated in small-cell lung cancers than in pulmonary adenocarcinomas: 0.33 ng/mL versus 0.07 ng/mL (p<0.001). However, the diagnostic value of serum PCT levels for diagnosing carcinoma with a neuroendocrine component remains low (sensitivity 63.8%; specificity 71.9%). In this series, serum PCT levels were significantly more elevated in the presence of liver metastases: 0.37 ng/mL versus 0.09 ng/mL in the absence of liver metastasis (p<0.001). In uni- and multivariate analyses, a serum PCT level above 0.15n g/mL and the presence of metastases and of sepsis at the time of diagnosis were independent factors of unfavorable prognosis.. Serum PCT is elevated in patients with lung cancer with neuroendocrine component or with liver metastases. As a consequence, in this population, PCT has a poor specificity for bacterial infection. At diagnosis, an elevated serum PCT is an independent predictive factor of bad prognosis.

Topics: Adenocarcinoma; Aged; Biomarkers, Tumor; Calcitonin; Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide; Diagnosis, Differential; Female; Humans; Kaplan-Meier Estimate; Liver Neoplasms; Lung Neoplasms; Male; Middle Aged; Multivariate Analysis; Neuroendocrine Tumors; Prognosis; Protein Precursors; Retrospective Studies; Sensitivity and Specificity; Small Cell Lung Carcinoma

There is an urgent need for molecular marker studies of adenocarcinoma (AC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the uterine cervix. This study utilized oligomicroarray and pathway analyses to characterize a transcriptomic signature with molecular networks associated with AC and SCC. A 10K oligomicroarray was used to identify potential transcripts that were differentially expressed in cervical cancers from 28 patients and common reference RNAs from 17 different normal cervixes. Molecular networks were correlated using genomics tools to globally explore cellular pathways. Gene expression levels of 46 transcripts separated cancer samples into AC and SCC groups. Genes including: KRT17, IGFBP2, CALCA and VIPR1 were differentially expressed in AC and SCC. In addition, we identified a transcriptomic signature that predicted tumor classification and progression based upon its cellular processes. The downregulated signatures for SCC were cell death of pheochromocytoma cells (P=0.0037), apoptosis of neurons (P=0.009) and damage to DNA (P=0.0038). By contrast, the upregulated molecular signatures in AC were immunological disorder (P=0.006), splenomegaly (P=0.0053) and hepatic system disorder (P=0.006). The G2/M DNA damage checkpoint regulation pathway (P=0.05) was found to be significantly linked to IGF1R as a new regulatory component of a putative cytoplasmic signaling cascade in SCC. By contrast, the antigen presenting canonical pathway (P=0.038) appeared to be linked to PPARγ in AC. Taken together, these experiments provide important new information regarding the role of molecular networks in mediating SCC and AC, possibly through two independent pathways, and contribute to provide new targets for the prevention and treatment of cervical cancer.

Topics: Adenocarcinoma; Biomarkers, Tumor; Calcitonin; Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell; Down-Regulation; Female; G2 Phase Cell Cycle Checkpoints; Humans; Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 2; Keratin-17; PPAR gamma; Protein Precursors; Receptor, IGF Type 1; Receptors, Vasoactive Intestinal Polypeptide, Type I; Signal Transduction; Up-Regulation; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms

Procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP) measurements in pleural fluid and plasma have been proposed to facilitate differential diagnosis of pleural effusion (PE). The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of these measurements when differentiating between benign (BPE) and malignant pleural effusion (MPE).. We prospectively studied 100 patients with the specific diagnosis of exudative PE. We analyzed the demographic data and the usual biochemical studies in PE. CRP and PCT were measured in pleural fluid and plasma before starting treatment.. The CRP levels in pleural fluid were higher in patients with BPE than in patients with MPE [33.1 mg/L (16.8 to 52.1) vs. 11.8 (5.1 to 22); p = 0.001], as were the plasma CRP levels [68.4 mg/L (26.1 to 119.1) vs. 30.2 (11.7 to 64.8); p = 0.007]. No differences in PCT levels were detected between the two patient populations. The AUC derived from the ROC curve analysis for plasma CRP and pleural fluid CRP were 0.667 (CI 95%: 0.551 - 0.782) and 0.752 (CI 95%: 0.653 - 0.852), respectively. Plasma CRP levels > or = 35.5 mg/L exhibited 71% sensitivity and 56% specificity in discriminating between BPE and MPE. Pleural fluid CRP levels > or = 16.7 mg/L had 75% sensitivity and 68% specificity in the diagnosis of BPE.. CRP levels in the pleural fluid and plasma were higher in patients with BPE, particulary infectious PE. However, the measurement of CRP and PCT is not a useful parameter for discriminating between BPE and MPE and does not provide useful information in clinical practice.

Topics: Adenocarcinoma; Adult; Aged; Biomarkers, Tumor; C-Reactive Protein; Calcitonin; Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide; Carcinoma; Diagnosis, Differential; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Lymphoma, T-Cell; Male; Mesothelioma; Middle Aged; Neoplasm Proteins; Neoplasms; Pleural Effusion; Pleural Effusion, Malignant; Pleurisy; Prospective Studies; Protein Precursors; Sensitivity and Specificity