Soluble selectin levels in patients with lung cancer.
Increased expression of selectins has been found on endothelial cells of venules and capillaries in the tumor stroma of non-small cell lung cancer, suggesting their functional role in the process of chemotaxis for tumor cells. The present study was aimed at analyzing the role of both soluble (s)P-selectin and sE-selectin levels in association with clinico-pathological variables in 116 patients with lung cancer, 38 patients with benign diseases and 59 healthy donors. The results obtained showed that sP-selectin and sE-selectin levels were higher in patients with lung cancer compared to normal donors (p<0.02 and p<0.005, respectively). No differences were observed among patients with various benign diseases for both selectins. Increased levels of sP-selectin and sE-selectin were significantly associated with squamous lung cancer at late stages (p<0.05), but not adenocarcinoma. Both sP- and sE-selectin were independently related to the stage of squamous lung cancer by stepwise regression analysis (p<0.02 and p<0.03, respectively), while only sE-selectin was independently related to the presence of distant metastasis in the same histotype (p<0.02). These results suggest that measurement of plasma soluble selectins might represent a useful laboratory parameter in the management of patients with squamous lung cancer.
Roselli
M
M
Clinical Oncology Section, Department of Surgery, Tor Vergata University, Rome, Italy.
Mineo
T C
TC
Martini
F
F
Mariotti
S
S
Ambrogi
V
V
Spila
A
A
D'Alessandro
R
R
Basili
S
S
Guadagni
F
F
Ferroni
P
P
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000378:metabolism; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000378:metabolism; D019040:E-Selectin / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D006801:Humans; D007118:Immunoassay; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D019007:P-Selectin / Q000096:biosynthesis*
D019040:E-Selectin; D019007:P-Selectin