Arginase and C-reactive protein as potential serum-based biomarker of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma patients of north east India

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) diagnosis involves histopathological investigations with intervention procedures. Widely accepted biochemical panels for HNSCC detection is not available yet. We tried to find out the effectiveness of the serum-based biochemical markers for their prognostic significance in HNSCC. We collected fresh blood samples of 80 HNSCC patients and 100 healthy subjects. Samples were analyzed for absolute levels of arginase (ARG), ornithine aminotransferase (OAT), catalase (CAT), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), amylase (AMY) activity, and C-reactive protein (CRP). Receiver-operator characteristic curves and Fagan’s nomograms were generated. Out of six parameters studied, four (OAT, CAT, LDH, and AMY) did not show biologically significant differences to be used as biomarkers. Significant elevation in serum ARG and CRP levels were observed in HNSCC. The individual estimation of ARG and CRP showed lower specificity, but their combination improved the specificity level to 95 %. Our results suggest that serum ARG and CRP together can efficiently diagnose HNSCC.