Identification of potential serum markers for endometrial cancer using protein expression profiling.
OBJECTIVE
Screening method of endometrial cancer (EC) has not been established yet. Our study was to explore serum biomarkers of EC patients using surface-enhanced laser desorption and ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (SELDI-TOF MS).


METHODS
Serum samples from 65 EC patients and 40 controls were analyzed by SELDI-TOF MS (training set). Single- and multi-variant analyses were performed to compare protein profiles in serum of EC patients and healthy controls. Subsequently, blind test set including 40 EC patients and 40 controls were analyzed for validation.


RESULTS
A panel of four biomarker candidates were selected in training set analysis. These markers could also distinguish stage I patients from controls. Among them, two biomarkers were purified and identified as apolipoprotein A1 and a modified form of apolipoprotein C1. Screening for blind test set using dual-biomarker analysis yielded a sensitivity of 82% and a specificity of 86%.


CONCLUSIONS
Involvement of apolipoproteins with EC is first suggested in this study. In addition to possibility of screening method for EC, findings of these new biomarkers might be related with carcinogenesis or predisposition to EC.
Takano
Masashi
M
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, National Defense Medical College, Tokorozawa, Saitama, 359-8513, Japan.
Kikuchi
Yoshihiro
Y
Asakawa
Takayoshi
T
Goto
Tomoko
T
Kita
Tsunekazu
T
Kudoh
Kazuya
K
Kigawa
Junzo
J
Sakuragi
Noriaki
N
Sakamoto
Masaru
M
Sugiyama
Toru
T
Yaegashi
Nobuo
N
Tsuda
Hiroshi
H
Seto
Hiroshi
H
Shiwa
Mieko
M
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000378:metabolism; D001774:Blood Chemical Analysis / Q000379:methods; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016889:Endometrial Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D040081:Protein Array Analysis / Q000379:methods; D012372:ROC Curve; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor