title: Galectin expression in cancer diagnosis and prognosis: A systematic review.
abstract: Galectins are a family of proteins that bind to specific glycans thereby deciphering the information captured within the glycome. In the last two decades, several galectin family members have emerged as versatile modulators of tumor progression. This has initiated the development and preclinical assessment of galectin-targeting compounds. With the first compounds now entering clinical trials it is pivotal to gain insight in the diagnostic and prognostic value of galectins in cancer as this will allow a more rational selection of the patients that might benefit most from galectin-targeted therapies. Here, we present a systematic review of galectin expression in human cancer patients. Malignant transformation is frequently associated with altered galectin expression, most notably of galectin-1 and galectin-3. In most cancers, increased galectin-1 expression is associated with poor prognosis while elevated galectin-9 expression is emerging as a marker of favorable disease outcome. The prognostic value of galectin-3 appears to be tumor type dependent and the other galectins require further investigation. Regarding the latter, additional studies using larger patient cohorts are essential to fully unravel the diagnostic and prognostic value of galectin expression. Furthermore, to better compare different findings, consensus should be reached on how to assess galectin expression, not only with regard to localization within the tissue and within cellular compartments but also regarding alternative splicing and genomic variations. Finally, linking galectin expression and function to aberrant glycosylation in cancer cells will improve our understanding of how these versatile proteins can be exploited for diagnostic, prognostic and even therapeutic purposes in cancer patients.
authors.affiliation: Angiogenesis Laboratory, Department Medical Oncology, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Angiogenesis Laboratory, Department of Radiation Oncology, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Electronic address: v.thijssen@vumc.nl.
authors.forename: Victor L
authors.initials: VL
authors.lastname: Thijssen
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Hematology, GIGA-Research, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium.
authors.forename: Roy
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Heusschen
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Hematology, GIGA-Research, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium.
authors.forename: Jo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Caers
authors.affiliation: Angiogenesis Laboratory, Department Medical Oncology, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Arjan W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Griffioen
mesh_terms: D017398:Alternative Splicing / Q000235:genetics; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D001798:Blood Proteins; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic / Q000235:genetics; D037483:Galectin 1 / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D037502:Galectin 3 / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D037161:Galectins; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D023281:Genomics; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D011379:Prognosis
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D001798:Blood Proteins; D037483:Galectin 1; D037502:Galectin 3; D037161:Galectins; C428445:LGALS3 protein, human
keywords: Clinical trials; Glycobiology; Overall survival; Patients; Therapy; Tumor