title: Simultaneous determination of serum galectin-3 and -4 levels detects metastases in colorectal cancer patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Development of effective ways to detect metastases is highly desirable for improving the therapeutic strategies and survival of cancer patients. Serum levels of galectin-3 and -4, two members of the galactoside-binding galectin family, have recently been reported to be markedly increased up to 31-fold in the bloodstream of colorectal cancer patients and in particular those with metastases.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found that simultaneous determination of serum galectin-3 and -4 levels in a single assay provides a high specificity and sensitivity in distinguishing colorectal cancer patients without metastases from those with liver metastases. This result was partly attributed by a reciprocal relationship of serum galectin-3 and -4 levels in patients with metastases. Higher serum galectin-3/-4 levels at the time of primary tumour removal in patients who did not exhibit clinically detectable metastases were associated with a trend of a poorer patients' survival in the next 10 years.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Simultaneous determination of serum galectin-3 and -4 levels can potentially be used alone or in combination with other assessments to detect colorectal cancer metastases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Institute of Translational Medicine, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.
authors.forename: Hannah
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Barrow
authors.forename: Jonathan M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Rhodes
authors.forename: Lu-Gang
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Yu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen / Q000097:blood; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D037502:Galectin 3 / Q000097:blood*; D037541:Galectin 4 / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000556:secondary; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen; D037502:Galectin 3; D037541:Galectin 4