Elevation of serum KL-6 mucin levels in patients with cholangiocarcinoma.
OBJECTIVE
KL-6 mucin is a type of MUC1 mucin. Previous immunohistochemical studies by the authors revealed that, in liver cancer tissues, KL-6 mucin expressed only in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (CC) but not in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The current study performed serological analysis to evaluate KL-6 mucin levels in sera from various liver cancer patients and healthy individuals.


METHODS
Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to measure KL-6 mucin levels in sera from 8 CC patients, 27 HCC patients, 30 metastatic liver cancer (MC) patients, and 19 healthy individuals.


RESULTS
Serum KL-6 mucin levels were significantly higher in CC patients than in healthy individuals (p<0.0001), HCC patients (p<0.0001), and MC patients (p<0.001). Receiver operating characteristic analysis determined the cut-off level of serum KL-6 mucin levels to be 240 U/mL (CC vs. healthy, p<0.001) or 248 U/mL (CC vs. HCC, p<0.001). Using 248 U/mL as a cut-off value, the positive rate for CC patients, healthy individuals, and HCC patients was 100.0%, 15.8%, and 18.5%, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
Elevation of serum KL-6 levels was detectable in CC patients. Thus, KL-6 might be a useful serological marker to distinguish CC patients from HCC patients.
Xu
Huanli
H
Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery Division, Department of Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Inagaki
Yoshinori
Y
Tang
Wei
W
Guo
Qian
Q
Wang
Fengshan
F
Seyama
Yasuji
Y
Midorikawa
Yutaka
Y
Gai
Ruoyan
R
Kokudo
Noribim
N
Sugawara
Yasuhiko
Y
Nakata
Munehiro
M
Makuuchi
Masatoshi
M
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000097:blood; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018396:Mucin-1 / Q000097:blood*; D012372:ROC Curve
C060192:MUC1 protein, human; D018396:Mucin-1