Detection of nasopharyngeal carcinoma using surface-enhanced laser desorption and ionization mass spectrometry profiles of the serum proteome.
OBJECTIVE
Early diagnosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is difficult due to the insufficient specificity of the conventional examination method. This study was to investigate potential and consistent biomarkers for NPC, particularly for early detection of NPC.


METHODS
A proteomic pattern was identified in a training set (134 NPC patients and 73 control individuals) using the surface-enhanced laser desorption and ionization-mass spectrometry (SELDI-MS), and used to screen the test set (44 NPC patients and 25 control individuals) to determine the screening accuracy. To confirm the accuracy, it was used to test another group of 52 NPC patients and 32 healthy individuals at 6 months later.


RESULTS
Eight proteomic biomarkers with top-scored peak mass/charge ratios (m/z) of 8605 Da, 5320 Da, 5355 Da, 5380 Da, 5336 Da, 2791 Da, 7154 Da, and 9366 Da were selected as the potential biomarkers of NPC with a sensitivity of 90.9% (40/44) and a specificity of 92.0% (23/25). The performance was better than the current diagnostic method by using the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) capsid antigen IgA antibodies (VCA/IgA). Similar sensitivity (88.5%) and specificity (90.6%) were achieved in another group of 84 samples.


CONCLUSIONS
SELDI-MS profiling might be a potential tool to identify patients with NPC, particularly at early clinical stages.
Cao
Su-Mei
SM
State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510060, P. R. China.
Yu
Jie-Kai
JK
Chen
Qiu-Yan
QY
Li
Ning-Wei
NW
Xiang
Yan-Qun
YQ
Qian
Chao-Nan
CN
Hu
Xun
X
Zhang
Chang-Qing
CQ
Xie
Dan
D
Guo
Xiang
X
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000465:Algorithms; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000097:blood; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood*; D036022:Capsid Proteins / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000097:blood*; D040901:Proteomics / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization / Q000379:methods*
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D000956:Antigens, Viral; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D036022:Capsid Proteins; C041788:Epstein-Barr viral capsid antigen; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins