title: Circulating cytokeratin 18 fragment m65-a potential marker of malignancy in colorectal cancer patients.
abstract: Soluble cytokeratin 18 fragments (M30, M65) are released from human cancer cells during cell death and hold potential as biomarkers in colorectal cancer characterized by frequent metastatic spread. A total of 62 colorectal cancer and 27 control patients were included in the study. M65 (necrosis and apoptosis) and M30 (apoptosis) were quantified preoperatively (n = 62) and postoperatively (n = 31) using specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Presence of disseminated tumor cells (DTC) in the bone marrow was assessed by staining of A45-B/B3-positive cells in aspirates. M65 was significantly elevated in patients with International Union against Cancer stage I and IIA tumors compared to controls. A subgroup (19/31) exhibited a significant (p < 0.05) decrease of M65 after tumor surgery (503.9 +/- 230.7 to 342.6 + 94.8 U/l; -32.0 +/- 16.5%), in contrast to 12 patients who revealed higher M65 levels postoperatively (386.5 +/- 128.5 to 519.1 +/- 151 U/l; +37.4 +/- 32.3%). DTC in bone marrow were found in 10% (2/19) of patients with decreasing and 50% (6/12) of the patients with increasing M65 serum concentrations after surgery (p = 0.028). In conclusion, M65 as marker is likely to be valuable to identify patients with a high incidence of systemic disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, SMZ Ost and Cluster Translational Oncology, Ludwig Boltzmann Society, Langobardenstrasse 122, Vienna, Austria. christoph.ausch@wienkav.at
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ausch
authors.forename: Veronika
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Buxhofer-Ausch
authors.forename: Ulrike
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Olszewski
authors.forename: Rudolf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schiessel
authors.forename: Emil
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ogris
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Hinterberger
authors.forename: Gerhard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hamilton
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood*; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000473:pathology; D002499:Centrifugation, Density Gradient; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D006801:Humans; D053538:Keratin-18 / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D053538:Keratin-18