title: Elevated pretreatment serum concentration of YKL-40: an independent prognostic biomarker for poor survival in patients with colorectal cancer.
abstract: Serum YKL-40 levels have been associated with a poor prognosis in patients with several cancer types. However, the role of YKL-40 and its relationship with colorectal cancer are poorly understood. Pretreatment serum levels of YKL-40 were determined in 86 patients with colorectal cancer and from 20 healthy controls. The serum YKL-40 levels in colorectal cancer patients were compared with those in healthy controls, and we retrospectively assessed the association between serum YKL-40 levels and clinicopathological findings and progression-free survival. Colorectal patients had a median serum YKL-40 level of 216 ng/mL (range 22.3-1, 253.2 ng/mL). Expression of serum YKL-40 levels was significantly higher in colorectal cancer patients compared with healthy controls, and the median serum values were 216 and 62.5 ng/mL, respectively (p < 0.01). No correlation was observed between progression-free survival and the type of chemotherapy regimen used tumor stage, sex, or histologic types. Patients with high serum YKL-40 levels [greater than the median level for all patients (216 ng/mL)] had a significantly shorter survival than patients with serum YKL-40 levels below the median (median progression-free survival, 36 vs. 50 months; p = 0.003). In multivariate analysis, the serum YKL-40 level, and the presence of distant metastasis were independent, statistically significant prognostic factors. The pretreatment serum YKL-40 level was identified as a new, independent prognostic biomarker in patients with colorectal cancer and may help to determine the individual prognosis of these patients.
authors.affiliation: Oncology Department, 1st Affiliated Hospital Liaoning Medical University, Jinzhou, Liaoning, China.
authors.forename: Xiaomei
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Yinxu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Zhitu
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Minwen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ha
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D054392:Adipokines / Q000097:blood*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D000071451:Chitinase-3-Like Protein 1; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D037102:Lectins / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis
chemical_list: D054392:Adipokines; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; C084533:CHI3L1 protein, human; D000071451:Chitinase-3-Like Protein 1; D037102:Lectins