title: Discrimination of clinical stages in non-small cell lung cancer patients by serum HSP27 and HSP70: a multi-institutional case-control study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Lung cancer represents a major healthcare problem. Accordingly, there is an urgent need to identify serum biomarkers for early diagnosis of lung pathology. We have recently described that patients with manifest COPD evidence elevated levels of heat shock proteins (HSPs). Based on these data, we speculated whether HSPs are also increased in patients with diagnosed lung cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Serum levels of HSP27, phospho-HSP27 (pHSP27) and HSP70 in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) diagnosed at an early (stages I-II, n=37) or advanced (stages IIIA-IV, n=72) stage were determined by using ELISA. Healthy smokers (n=24), healthy never-smoker volunteers (n=33) and COPD patients (n=34) according to GOLD classification served as control population.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Serum levels of HSP27 were elevated in patients with NSCLC diagnosed at an early or advanced stage when compared with both healthy control groups (P<0.005 and P<0.0001 respectively). Statistically significant differences were furthermore found between the groups of patients with early vs. advanced stage NSCLC (P=0.0021). Serum levels of HSP70 were also significantly elevated in patients with NSCLC diagnosed at an early or at an advanced stage when compared with either healthy control groups (P=0.0028 and P<0.0001 respectively). In univariate logistic regression models including healthy subjects and patients with NSCLC, HSP70 had an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.779 (P<0.0001) and HSP27 showed an AUC of 0.870 (P<0.0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data suggest that serum HSP27 levels might serve as a possible tool to discriminate between early and advanced stages NSCLC.
authors.affiliation: Christian Doppler Laboratory for Cardiac and Thoracic Diagnosis and Regeneration, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zimmermann
authors.forename: Stefanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nickl
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lambers
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hacker
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mitterbauer
authors.forename: Konrad
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hoetzenecker
authors.forename: Anita
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rozsas
authors.forename: Gyula
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ostoros
authors.forename: Viktoria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Laszlo
authors.forename: Helmut
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hofbauer
authors.forename: Ferenc
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Renyi-Vamos
authors.forename: Walter
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Klepetko
authors.forename: Balazs
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Dome
authors.forename: Hendrik Jan
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Ankersmit
mesh_terms: D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D055551:HSP27 Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000097:blood*; D018840:HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000097:blood*; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018832:Molecular Chaperones; D015337:Multicenter Studies as Topic; D009367:Neoplasm Staging
chemical_list: D055551:HSP27 Heat-Shock Proteins; D018840:HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins; C057725:HSPB1 protein, human; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins; D018832:Molecular Chaperones