title: Surface-enhanced laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry: serum protein profiling in seminoma patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Surface-enhanced laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (SELDI-TOF MS) allows rapid protein profiling of complex biological mixtures. We analyzed testicular germ cell cancer serum samples to differentiate between cancer and controls with a special focus on beta-hCG-negative seminomas.
  
  
  METHODS
  Proteomic spectra were generated by the ProteinChip system and analyzed by the proteomic platform "proteomic.net". For statistical analysis, an artificial intelligence learning algorithm was used.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The classification algorithm correctly identified the pattern in 90.4% of the patients. Decision trees predicted seminomas with 91.5% sensitivity and 89.4% specificity. Seminoma patients with normal beta-hCG serum level were correctly predicted with 80% sensitivity and 70% specificity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study demonstrates protein profiles of testicular germ cell cancer patients that differ in a highly significant degree from normal controls. Validation of these findings may enable proteomic profiling to become a valuable tool, especially for aftercare.
authors.affiliation: Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Urologische Klinik und Hochschulambulanz, Hindenburgdamm 30, 12200 Berlin, Germany. romystrenziok@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Romy
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Strenziok
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hinz
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wolf
authors.forename: Tim
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Conrad
authors.forename: Hans
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Krause
authors.forename: Kurt
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schrader
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000465:Algorithms; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood; D001798:Blood Proteins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D018997:Chorionic Gonadotropin, beta Subunit, Human / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood; D003663:Decision Trees; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D040081:Protein Array Analysis / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D018239:Seminoma / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D013736:Testicular Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D001798:Blood Proteins; D018997:Chorionic Gonadotropin, beta Subunit, Human