The application of serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) in the diagnosis and prognosis of colorectal cancer (CRC) has been evaluated in many studies, whereas the results were contradictive. The aim of this study was to systematically evaluate this issue. An original study was conducted to explore the diagnostic value of serum IL-6 in CRC. Pubmed, Embase, and Cochrane library databases were searched for eligible studies. For diagnostic meta-analysis, aggregate data (AD) and individual participant data (IPD) meta-analyses were both adopted. The sensitivity and specificity were pooled and a summary receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve was constructed. For prognostic meta-analysis, study-specific hazard ratios (HRs) of IL-6 for survival were summarized. Secondary analysis of survival data was performed to synthesize the Kaplan–Meier curves. Total 17 studies (including our study) were included in this meta-analysis. The pooled sensitivity, specificity, and area under curve (AUC) of serum IL-6 were 0.72 (95% CI: 0.46–0.88), 0.74 (95% CI: 0.56–0.86), and 0.79 (95% CI: 0.75–0.82) in CRC diagnosis, respectively. Further, IPD meta-analysis strengthened the diagnostic value of serum IL-6 (the AUC, sensitivity, and specificity were 0.794, 0.606, and 0.839, respectively). For prognostic analysis, the high serum level of IL-6 was inversely associated with overall survival (OS) (pooled HR = 1.76, 95% CI: 1.42–2.19, P < 0.001) and disease-free survival (DFS) (pooled HR = 2.97, 95% CI: 1.76–5.01, P < 0.001). The synthesized Kaplan–Meier curves indicated that CRC patients with higher serum IL-6 level had a worse OS (P = 0.0027) and DFS (P < 0.001), which further support the prognostic value of serum IL-6 in CRC patients. The present study confirmed that serum IL-6 may be a potential biomarker for CRC diagnosis, and the high serum IL-6 level was associated with poor prognosis for both CRC overall survival and disease-free survival. The study has been registered in an international registry of systematic reviews PROSPERO (CRD42013006485).
Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women globally. The increasing worldwide incidence of this type of cancer illustrates the challenge it represents for healthcare providers. Therefore, new tumor markers are constantly being sought. The aim of this study was to assess plasma concentrations and the diagnostic power of VEGF in 100 patients with early-stage breast cancer, both before and after surgical treatment and during a three-year follow-up. The control groups included 50 subjects with benign breast tumors (fibroadenoma) and 50 healthy women. The VEGF concentration was determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and the CA 15-3 concentration was determined by chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay (CMIA). We observed significantly higher preoperative plasma concentrations of VEGF and CA 15-3 in patients with breast cancer. VEGF, similar to CA 15-3, demonstrated high diagnostic utility in the assessment of the long-term efficacy of surgical removal of the tumor. Determinations of VEGF had the highest diagnostic usefulness in the detection of breast cancer recurrence (SE 40%, SP 92%, PPV 67%, NPV 79%). Additionally, the highest values of SE, NPV and AUC were observed during the combined analysis with CA 15-3 (60%; 84%; 0.7074, respectively). Our study suggests a promising diagnostic utility of VEGF in the early stages of breast cancer and in the evaluation of the efficacy of the surgical treatment of breast cancer as well as the detection of breast cancer recurrence, particularly in a combined analysis with CA 15-3 as a new diagnostic panel.
The aim of this study was to determine the differences in the activity of Alcohol Dehydrogenase (ADH) isoenzymes and Aldehyde Dehydrogenase (ALDH) in normal and cancerous bladder cells.Class III, IV of ADH and total ADH activity were measured by the photometric method and class I, II ADH and ALDH activity by the fluorometric method.Significantly higher total activity of ADH was found in both, low-grade and high-grade bladder cancer, in comparison to healthy tissues.The increased activity of total ADH in bladder cancer cells may be the cause of metabolic disorders in cancer cells, which may intensify carcinogenesis.
Neutrophils kill tumor cells through mechanisms of cell cytotoxicity, dependent on myeloperoxidase. The proliferation and activity of mature granulocytes are stimulated by the granulocyte--colony stimulating factor (G-CSF). The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the level of adhesion molecule--sL-selectin, as a measure of mature granulocyte activity and myeloperoxidase responsible for their cytotoxicity. Additionally we have investigated the plasma level of G-CSF which can increase in the breast cancer. We tested 15 patients with III stage breast cancer and 18 patients with IV stage. Plasma samples were drawn before and in the course (12th week) of chemotherapy. The control group consisted of 10 healthy women. The plasma levels of sL-selectin, myeloperoxidase and G-CSF were measured using a sensitive sandwich ELISA system. In breast cancer patients (III and IV stage) before and in the course of chemotherapy sL-selectin concentration was decreased, but myeloperoxidase concentration increased in comparison to the control group. The level of sL-selectin and myeloperoxidase in the 12th week was decreased when compared to the level before chemotherapy. These results suggest that levels of tested parameters do not correlate with G-CSF concentration.
Background: A growing body of evidence shows the involvement of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and their tissue inhibitors (TIMPs) in neurodegeneration processes, but reports of their concentrations in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) are inconsistent
