title: Serum macrophage migration-inhibitory factor as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for gastric cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study aimed to determine the potential diagnostic value of migration-inhibitory factor (MIF) for gastric cancer in patients presenting with dyspepsia and its prognostic value for gastric cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cohort of 97 patients with histologically confirmed gastric adenocarcinoma and 222 patients with dyspepsia were recruited. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to measure serum MIF and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The serum MIF concentrations were 6554.0 +/- 204.1 pg/mL and 1453.7 +/- 79.9 pg/mL, respectively, in gastric cancer patients and dyspeptic patients (P < .001). Serum MIF levels increased with the advancing gastric pathologies (P < .001). With the cutoff value of 3230 pg/mL, serum MIF had sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of 83.5%, 92.3%, and 89.7%, respectively, in diagnosing gastric cancer, whereas the rates were 60.8%, 83.3%, and 76.5%, respectively, for serum CEA. Gastric cancer patients with serum MIF levels above 6600 pg/mL had a lower 5-year survival rate than those with serum MIF level below that level (P = .012). Higher serum CEA levels were also associated with poor survival. The prediction for 5-year survival was even better (P = .0001), using a combination of serum MIF and CEA.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Serum MIF level, which correlates with gastric MIF expression, is a better molecular marker than CEA in diagnosing gastric cancer in patients presenting with dyspepsia. A combination of serum MIF and CEA predicts 5-year survival better than the individual test.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: Harry Hua-Xiang
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Kent-Man
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.forename: Qing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Gu
authors.forename: Yuan-Yuan
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Hua
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Wai Man
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: Suet-Yi
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Leung
authors.forename: Siu-Tsan
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Yuen
authors.forename: Man-Fung
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Yuen
authors.forename: Annie O O
authors.initials: AO
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: Benjamin C Y
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Wong
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood*; D004415:Dyspepsia / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008263:Macrophage Migration-Inhibitory Factors / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D008263:Macrophage Migration-Inhibitory Factors