Afamin and apolipoprotein A-IV: novel protein markers for ovarian cancer.

Comparative proteomics identified the vitamin E-binding plasma protein afamin as a potential novel tumor marker for ovarian cancer. In addition, we observed in a previous small study decreased plasma concentrations of apolipoprotein A-IV (apoA-IV) in preoperative patients with kidney cancer.
Afamin, but not apoA-IV, added independent diagnostic information to CA125 and age for differentiating ovarian cancer from benign and healthy samples; the odds ratio of ovarian cancer was reduced by 44% for each doubling of afamin (P = 0.032). The relatively low sensitivity, however, clearly indicates that afamin and apoA-IV alone are not sufficiently suitable as diagnostic markers for ovarian cancer. Afamin contributes, however, independent diagnostic information to CA125, thus establishing its potential as an adjunct marker to CA125.

Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2009 Apr;18(4):1127-33.
Dieplinger H, Ankerst DP, Burges A, Lenhard M, Lingenhel A, Fineder L, Buchner H, Stieber P.

Pathways in cancer

Source: http://www.genome.jp/kegg/pathway/hsa/hsa05200.html

Main genetic abnormalities of colorectal cancer

The Pharmacogenomics Journal (2009) 9, 147–160;
Pharmacogenetics and biomarkers in colorectal cancer
A S Strimpakos, K N Syrigos and M W Saif

Proliferation of immature tumor vessels is a novel marker of clinical progression in prostate cancer.

Nestin (neuroepithelial stem cell protein) is expressed in immature endothelial cells, and we here introduce coexpression of Nestin and Ki-67 as a novel angiogenesis marker on tissue sections. Including vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-A and hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1alpha) expression, we studied relation to disease progression in prostate cancer. Different patient series were included. Sections from 104 radical prostatectomies with long follow-up, 33 castration-resistant prostate cancers, 28 nonskeletal metastases, 13 skeletal metastases, and 41 benign prostatic hyperplasias were immunostained for Nestin/Ki-67, VEGF-A, and HIF-1alpha. Vascular proliferation by Nestin/Ki-67-positive vessels was counted within "hotspot" areas. Median vascular proliferation counts were 4- to 5-fold higher in castration-resistant prostate cancers and metastases versus localized cancers and prostatic hyperplasias (P < 0.0005). Among localized cancers, high vascular proliferation was significantly related to adverse clinicopathologic features and was a strong and independent predictor of biochemical failure (P < 0.005), clinical recurrence (P = 0.005), and skeletal metastasis (P = 0.025) in multivariate analysis. Castration-resistant cancers were characterized by reduced VEGF-A and increased HIF-1alpha expression, and vascular proliferation was associated with reduced patient survival in this group. Thus, vascular proliferation was of independent prognostic importance among prostate cancers. When compared with localized cancers, vascular proliferation was significantly increased in castration-resistant cases and metastatic lesions. The castration-resistant tumors exhibited weak VEGF-A but strong HIF-1alpha expression. These novel data might have an effect on clinical evaluation and treatment of prostate cancer patients.

Clin Cancer Res. 2009 Jun 1;15(11):3654-62. Epub 2009 May 26
Gravdal K, Halvorsen OJ, Haukaas SA, Akslen LA.

Prostate cancer oncology biomarkers

PSA has been used for many years as a screening tool to detect the presence of PCa and to evaluate the treatment response.7 E. Canby-Hagino, J. Hernandez and T.C. Brand et al., Prostate cancer risk with positive family history, normal prostate examination findings, and PSA less than 4.0 ng/mL, Urology 70 (2007), pp. 748–752. Article | PDF (83 K) | View Record in Scopus | Cited By in Scopus (2)⁷ However, its role is evolving as a useful marker for assessing the risk of future PCa, although this concept has not yet been widely incorporated into clinical practice.⁸ A number of studies have evaluated PSA as an indicator of the risk of developing future PCa.

A number of potential biomarkers have been identified that might provide additional predictive value in determining the risk of future PCa. Transforming growth factor-β1, interleukin-6, the urokinase plasminogen activation system, chromogranin A, and prostate-specific membrane antigen have all demonstrated some degree of predictive value in PCa, but all are unproved to date.³⁶ In the case of transforming growth factor-β1, the data from some studies have shown it to be valuable in predicting tumor progression, metastasis, and biochemical progression, but other studies failed to confirm these data.^{[37], [38] and [39]} Some limited data have also pointed to the value of interleukin-6 as a predictor of disease progression and patient survival.^{[40] and [41]}

Few of these newer biomarker candidates are likely to eventually play an important role in future PCa prediction. From the data from several recent studies, only PCa gene 3 (PCA3), BRCA, and early PCa antigen 2 (EPCA-2) show considerable promise.

Risk of developing prostate cancer in the future: overview of prognostic biomarkers.
Fleshner NE, Lawrentschuk N.
Urology. 2009 May;73(5 Suppl):S21-7.

Protein-based biomarkers in detection of lung cancer: currently available

BMB Rep. 2008 Sep 30;41(9):615-25.
Biomarkers for the lung cancer diagnosis and their advances in proteomics.
Sung HJ, Cho JY.

Protein-based biomarkers for the detection of lung cancer: potential

BMB Rep. 2008 Sep 30;41(9):615-25.
Biomarkers for the lung cancer diagnosis and their advances in proteomics.
Sung HJ, Cho JY.