title: [A pilot investigation on serum protein fingerprinting of nasopharyngeal carcinoma].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To establish a preliminary foundation for developing a serum proteomics diagnostic model of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) by comparing the differences in serum protein fingerprints between patients with NPC and healthy subjects and between different types of NPC.
  
  
  METHODS
  The serum samples of 41 patients with different types of NPC and 20 healthy subjects were collected. Surface-enhanced laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (SELDI-TOF-MS) were used to detect the blood samples to obtain serum protein mass spectrum, i.e. serum protein fingerprinting. Biomarker Wizard and Biomarker Patterns system software were used to compare the differences in serum protein mass spectrum between NPC patients and healthy subjects and between different types of NPC, and to screen out the NPC-related serum proteins.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with the healthy control, NPC patients emerged 9 very prominent protein peaks (P < 0.001), with the combined differential peaks. No significant difference was found in relative amount of serum proteins with different molecular mass between different types of NPC (P > 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The serum marker proteins and specific protein fingerprints of NPC can be screened out by SELDI-TOF-MS, which could be used to develop a serum proteomics model for clinical screening and early diagnosis of NPC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China. xwhuangtj@gmail.com
authors.forename: Xiao-wen
authors.initials: XW
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Jin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Han-qi
authors.initials: HQ
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.forename: Cai-wen
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.forename: Xiao-yang
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Hua
authors.forename: Ping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Hui-qin
authors.initials: HQ
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Yong-hua
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Cui
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood*; D001798:Blood Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D002277:Carcinoma; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D008875:Middle Aged; D000077274:Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010449:Peptide Mapping; D010865:Pilot Projects; D040901:Proteomics; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D001798:Blood Proteins