title: Increased midkine serum levels in pediatric embryonal tumor patients.
abstract: Serum levels of midkine (MK), a heparin-binding growth factor, are elevated in adult cancer patients. We analyzed sera of pediatric tumor patients in comparison to a large number of children and adolescents without malignant disease. MK was studied in sera of 152 noncancer patients and 29 embryonal tumor patients (14 nephroblastoma, 10 neuroblastoma, and 5 rhabdomyosarcoma) using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Noncancer patients underwent elective surgical procedures or suffered from an endocrinologic disease. They had no evidence of inflammation or injury. MK serum levels were significantly higher in tumor patients (median 0.621 ng/mL) than in noncancer patients. About 86% of tumor patients were identified using a cut-off value of 0.176 ng/mL. MK values did neither correlate with tumor size nor with stage or histology, but decreased in half of the nephroblastoma patients after chemotherapy and surgery. MK values were found to be elevated in only 2 out of 5 rhabdomyosarcoma patients. MK may serve as an additional marker for the detection of pediatric embryonal tumors, but its clinical relevance for the evaluation of response to therapy needs further study.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Oncology and Hematology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lucas
authors.forename: Tobias
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Reindl
authors.forename: Günter
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Henze
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kurtz
authors.forename: Sadatoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sakuma
authors.forename: Pablo Hernáiz
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Driever
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D000078792:Midkine; D009373:Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors / Q000097:blood*; D009447:Neuroblastoma / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D012208:Rhabdomyosarcoma / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D009396:Wilms Tumor / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D016207:Cytokines; C066254:MDK protein, human; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors; D000078792:Midkine