title: Pyridinium crosslinks in the monitoring of patients with bone metastases from carcinoma of the breast.
abstract: Assessing the response of bone metastases to systemic therapy remains a difficult clinical problem. The currently available markers of bone disease are limited by the length of time before the changes that accompany regression or progression become evident. The pyridinium crosslinks, pyridinoline (Pyr) and deoxypyridinoline (dPyr), are a recently described group of compounds formed by collagen breakdown. Elevated urinary crosslinks were demonstrated in patients with bone metastases when compared with controls (P<0.0001). Improvements in the sensitivity of the high performance liquid chromatography technique have enabled us to measure these compounds in serum for the first time; Pyr and dPyr were also significantly elevated when compared with controls (P<0.001). We found significant correlations between Pyr and dPyr in serum (p = 0.88; P<0.0001) as well as in urine (p = 0.94; P<0.0001). In addition, a significant relationship existed between serum Pyr and the percentage of bone involved (p = 0.78; P<0.0001). Here we describe or preliminary results using this new assay and consider the role of these markers in the clinical assessment of metastatic bone disease from breast cancer.
authors.affiliation: St Bartholomew's Hospital, London, UK.
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Walne
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Jenkins
authors.forename: I T
authors.initials: IT
authors.lastname: James
authors.forename: P N
authors.initials: PN
authors.lastname: Plowman
mesh_terms: D000596:Amino Acids / Q000097:blood* / Q000652:urine; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood* / Q000652:urine; D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000556:secondary* / Q000652:urine; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology / Q000652:urine; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000097:blood* / Q000556:secondary* / Q000652:urine; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; C015484:pyridinoline; C036020:deoxypyridinoline