Soluble mesothelin-related protein in an asbestos-exposed population: the dust diseases board cohort study.
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.
Park
Eun-Kee
EK
Research and Education Unit, Dust Disease Board, Level 2, 82 Elizabeth Street, Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia.
Sandrini
Alessandra
A
Yates
Deborah H
DH
Creaney
Jenette
J
Robinson
Bruce W
BW
Thomas
Paul S
PS
Johnson
Anthony R
AR
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
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D001798:Blood Proteins; D058851:GPI-Linked Proteins; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D001194:Asbestos; D000090204:Mesothelin