title: Comparative study of YKL-40, S-100B and LDH as monitoring tools for Stage IV melanoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Serum markers can be important tools for the prognostic classification and the treatment monitoring in cancer patients. Recently, the potential new serum marker YKL-40 has been introduced for patients with malignant melanoma. The purpose of this study was to assess the prognostic value of YKL-40 in stage IV melanoma patients regarding treatment outcome and survival compared to the established markers LDH and serum S-100B and to evaluate their ability to discriminate between different stages of the disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  YKL-40, LDH and S-100B were measured in serum samples of 50 patients with stage I/II melanoma and 61 patients with metastatic melanoma before and after treatment. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to determine prognostic factors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  YKL-40, S-100B and LDH correlated significantly with the stage of disease. In stage IV melanoma patients, only the baseline serum levels of S-100B were significantly associated with treatment response (p=0.031), but not those of LDH (p=0.193) or YKL-40 (p=0.186). We found a strong correlation between treatment response and unchanged or declining S-100B levels over time (p=0.003, OR: 9.52, 95%-CI: 1.87-47.62), but no significant correlation between treatment response and serum changes for LDH (p=0.534) and YKL-40 (p=0.306), respectively. In the Cox Regression analysis, only the serum levels of S-100B proved to have a significant prognostic impact on survival (p<0.0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In melanoma patients, serum levels of YKL-40, S-100B and LDH correlate significantly with the stage of disease. In stage IV melanoma, S100-B significantly correlates with treatment response and survival and is superior to LDH and YKL-40.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Schleswig-Holstein University Hospital, Campus Kiel, Germany. fegberts@dermatology.uni-kiel.de
authors.forename: Friederike
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Egberts
authors.forename: Eva Maria
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Kotthoff
authors.forename: Sascha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gerdes
authors.forename: Jan Hendrik
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Egberts
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Weichenthal
authors.forename: Axel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hauschild
mesh_terms: D054392:Adipokines / Q000097:blood*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood*; D000071451:Chitinase-3-Like Protein 1; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase / Q000097:blood*; D037102:Lectins / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors / Q000097:blood*; D011379:Prognosis; D064568:S100 Calcium Binding Protein beta Subunit; D009418:S100 Proteins / Q000097:blood*; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D054392:Adipokines; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; C084533:CHI3L1 protein, human; D000071451:Chitinase-3-Like Protein 1; D037102:Lectins; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors; D064568:S100 Calcium Binding Protein beta Subunit; D009418:S100 Proteins; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase