title: Plasma levels of soluble HLA-E and HLA-F at diagnosis may predict overall survival of neuroblastoma patients.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to identify the plasma/serum biomarkers that are able to predict overall survival (OS) of neuroblastoma (NB) patients. Concentration of soluble (s) biomarkers was evaluated in plasma (sHLA-E, sHLA-F, chromogranin, and B7H3) or serum (calprotectin) samples from NB patients or healthy children. The levels of biomarkers that were significantly higher in NB patients were then analyzed considering localized or metastatic subsets. Finally, biomarkers that were significantly different in these two subsets were correlated with patient's outcome. With the exception of B7H3, levels of all molecules were significantly higher in NB patients than those in controls. However, only chromogranin, sHLA-E, and sHLA-F levels were different between patients with metastatic and localized tumors. sHLA-E and -F levels correlated with each other but not chromogranin. Chromogranin levels correlated with different event-free survival (EFS), whereas sHLA-E and -F levels also correlated with different OS. Association with OS was also detected considering only patients with metastatic disease. In conclusion, low levels of sHLA-E and -F significantly associated with worse EFS/OS in the whole cohort of NB patients and in patients with metastatic NB. Thus, these molecules deserve to be tested in prospective studies to evaluate their predictive power for high-risk NB patients.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio di Oncologia, Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Via G. Gaslini 5, 16148 Genova, Italy.
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Morandi
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio di Analisi, Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Via G. Gaslini 5, 16148 Genova, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuliana
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cangemi
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio di Analisi, Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Via G. Gaslini 5, 16148 Genova, Italy.
authors.forename: Sebastiano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Barco
authors.affiliation: Oncologia Clinica, Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Via G. Gaslini 5, 16148 Genova, Italy.
authors.forename: Loredana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Amoroso
authors.affiliation: Oncoematologia, Ospedale Pausillipon, Via Mario Fiore 6, 80123 Napoli, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Giuliano
authors.affiliation: Epidemiologia, Biostatistica e Comitati, Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Via G. Gaslini 5, 16148 Genova, Italy.
authors.forename: Anna Rita
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Gigliotti
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio di Oncologia, Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Via G. Gaslini 5, 16148 Genova, Italy.
authors.forename: Vito
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Pistoia
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio di Oncologia, Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Via G. Gaslini 5, 16148 Genova, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria Valeria
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Corrias
mesh_terms: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood; D002864:Chromogranins / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D039841:Leukocyte L1 Antigen Complex / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D009447:Neuroblastoma / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality*; D000097625:HLA-E Antigens
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D002864:Chromogranins; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I; D039841:Leukocyte L1 Antigen Complex; D000097625:HLA-E Antigens; C062341:HLA-F antigens