title: Soluble mesothelin-related protein in an asbestos-exposed population: the dust diseases board cohort study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Soluble mesothelin-related protein (SMRP) is raised in epithelial-type malignant mesothelioma (MM), but the utility of SMRP in screening for MM is unknown.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We aimed to evaluate SMRP in an asbestos-exposed cohort.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 538 subjects were studied. Those with elevated SMRP (> or =2.5 nM) underwent further investigation including positron emission tomography/computed tomography.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean (+/-SD) SMRP in healthy subjects exposed to asbestos (n = 223) was 0.79 (+/-0.45) nM. Fifteen subjects had elevated SMRP, of whom one had lung cancer, which was successfully resected. Another with lung cancer was undetected by SMRP. No subjects were diagnosed with MM. Mean SMRP in healthy subjects was significantly lower than in subjects with pleural plaques alone (P < 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This is the first large-scale prospective study of SMRP for screening for malignancy in asbestos-exposed individuals. A high false-positive rate was observed. SMRP seems unlikely to prove useful in screening for MM.
authors.affiliation: Research and Education Unit, Dust Disease Board, Level 2, 82 Elizabeth Street, Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia.
authors.forename: Eun-Kee
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sandrini
authors.forename: Deborah H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Yates
authors.forename: Jenette
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Creaney
authors.forename: Bruce W
authors.initials: BW
authors.lastname: Robinson
authors.forename: Paul S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: Anthony R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Johnson
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001194:Asbestos / Q000009:adverse effects*; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood; D001798:Blood Proteins; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D058851:GPI-Linked Proteins; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000097:blood; D000090204:Mesothelin; D008654:Mesothelioma / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D010997:Pleural Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D001798:Blood Proteins; D058851:GPI-Linked Proteins; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D001194:Asbestos; D000090204:Mesothelin