title: Serum pancreastatin: the next predictive neuroendocrine tumor marker.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Pancreastatin is a derived peptide of chromogranin A (CgA). Pancreastatin has the potential to be a diagnostic and predictive tumor marker in detecting NETs.
  
  
  METHODS
  Radioimmunoassay tests of pancreastatin and CgA were performed on 103 patient specimens collected at Mount Sinai Medical Center between 1/2010 and 7/2012. Patient demographics, diagnostic tests, surgical procedures, pathologic findings, adjuvant treatments, and survival were retrospectively reviewed. Statistical analysis utilized SPSS v20 software.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean pancreastatin levels were significantly higher in the 92 NETs patients than in the 11 non-NETs patients (227.261 vs. 59.727, P < 0.05). Twenty-seven of the 92 patients with elevated pancreastatin levels (mean = 240.67), had normal CgA levels (mean = 4.65). Pancreastatin had sensitivity and specificity of 64% (59/92), and 100% (11/11). CgA had lower sensitivity and specificity of 43% (40/92), and 64% (7/11). In all 27 instances the pancreastatin concentration was found to be sole indicator of NET disease. When controlling for the level of CgA for the entire sample, a statistically significant difference was not found in the mean pancreastatin levels between both patient groups (P = 0.139, R = 0.484).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Pancreastatin has greater sensitivity and specificity in diagnosing NETs than CgA. Further investigation of pancreastatin's diagnostic and predictive value is warranted.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, The Mount Sinai Hospital New York, New York, NY 10029, USA.
authors.forename: Sapna
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rustagi
authors.forename: Richard R P
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Warner
authors.forename: Celia M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Divino
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood*; D053379:Chromogranin A / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018358:Neuroendocrine Tumors / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000401:mortality; D010187:Pancreatic Hormones / Q000097:blood*; D011379:Prognosis; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D016019:Survival Analysis
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D053379:Chromogranin A; D010187:Pancreatic Hormones; C050836:pancreastatin
keywords: CgA; NETs; pancreastatin