An Evaluation of SPARC Protein as a Serum Biomarker of Chronic Rhinosinusitis

ObjectivePrecision medicine initiatives for chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) management suggest tailoring treatment to the patient’s individual disease profile; however, serum biomarkers for evaluation of disease activity or predicting response to therapy are lacking in CRS. Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) has been described as a component of barrier dysfunction in CRS. SPARC (secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine) is a marker of EMT that has previously been identified in sinus epithelium by gene expression profiling. We wished to determine if SPARC could represent a serum biomarker for CRS by verifying (1) if SPARC could be detected in serum, (2) whether levels were sensitive to disease burden reduction following surgery, and (3) if it could predict response to therapy.Study DesignProspective.SettingTertiary care center.SubjectsPatients with CRS undergoing endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS).MethodsTwenty-six patients undergoing ESS for CRS were prospectively recruited. Serum was collected at th...