title: Neurophysins as markers of vasopressin and oxytocin release. A study in carcinoma of the lung.
abstract: Vasopressin-neurophysin (hNpI), oxytocin-neurophysin (hNpII) and blood osmolality were assayed before any treatment in basal conditions in 35 patients suffering from lung carcinoma (20 oat cell, 6 undifferentiated and 9 well-differentiated epidermoid cell carcinomas). Plasma vasopressin (antidiuretic hormone, ADH) was also assayed in 7 of the 20 patients suffering from oat cell carcinoma. We found a close correlation (r = 0.98) between plasma ADH and hNpI levels in the 7 patients. Further, hNpI was elevated in 13 out of the 20 oat cell carcinoma patients and in none of the epidermoid-cell carcinoma group; however, searching for an abnormality of ADH secretion as reflected by a detectable plasma hNpI level together with subnormal plasma osmolality revealed 2 additional positive results in the oat cell carcinoma group, and 2 out of the 6 in the undifferentiated-cell carcinoma group. hNpII was increased together with an increase in hNpI in 6 oat cell carcinoma patients; it was specifically increased without hNpI increment in 2 additional oat cell carcinoma patients and in 2 patients of the undifferentiated-cell carcinoma group (different from the 2 positive for the hNpI-osmolality ratio). hNpI and hNpII were normal in the majority of undifferentiated and all of the differentiated epidermoid-cell carcinoma group. Hence, our results show that simultaneous measurements of hNpI, hNpII, and blood osmolality could detect abnormalities in 17 out of 20 oat cell carcinoma patients, in 4 of the 9 undifferentiated-cell carcinoma patients, but in none of the differentiated epidermoid-cell carcinoma patients, suggesting that the neurophysin assay can be used for the early detection of oat cell- and possibly other neuroendocrine-derived carcinomas.
authors.affiliation: Service d'Endocrinologie, Unité de Neuroendocrinologie, CHU, Université de Liège, Belgique.
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Legros
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Geenen
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Carvelli
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Martens
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Andre
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Corhay
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Radermecker
authors.forename: P F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Zangerle
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sassolas
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gharib
mesh_terms: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D018288:Carcinoma, Small Cell / Q000378:metabolism*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007177:Inappropriate ADH Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism*; D009481:Neurophysins / Q000097:blood*; D009994:Osmolar Concentration; D010121:Oxytocin / Q000378:metabolism*; D014667:Vasopressins / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D009481:Neurophysins; D014667:Vasopressins; D010121:Oxytocin