We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress
Sign In
Advertise with Us
PURITAN MEDICAL

Download Mobile App




Events

09 Apr 2024 - 12 Apr 2024
15 Apr 2024 - 17 Apr 2024
23 Apr 2024 - 26 Apr 2024

Blood Test Biomarker Differentiates Early Stage Pancreatic Cancer

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 13 Jul 2015
Print article
Image: The NanoSight LM10 instrument used for nanoparticle analysis (Photo courtesy of Malvern Instruments).
Image: The NanoSight LM10 instrument used for nanoparticle analysis (Photo courtesy of Malvern Instruments).
A new biomarker that successfully differentiated patients with pancreatic cancer from those with another pancreatic disease could lead to a blood test that detects pancreatic cancer early enough for curative surgery to be feasible.

Pancreatic cancer has a very poor survival rate and ranks fourth as a leading cause of cancer deaths in the USA, where around 46,000 people a year are diagnosed with the disease. One reason the disease is so deadly is because by the time it is diagnosed, the tumor is too advanced for surgery to be an option as only about 15% of patients qualify for curative surgery.

Scientists at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (Houston, TX, USA) and their colleagues obtained serum samples and tissue samples from patients with pancreatic cancer, serum samples only from patients with a benign pancreatic disease and from healthy donors, who had no evidence of acute or chronic or malignant disease and had no surgery within the past 12 months. The pancreatic discovery cohort from the University Hospital of Heidelberg (Germany) included 190 patients with a pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), 18 patients with pancreatitis, eight patients with a benign serous cystadenoma and five patients with intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN).

The team used various techniques to show how a protein released by cancer cells into the bloodstream could be used to screen for early pancreatic cancer. As cancer cells release the protein, which is coded by the gene glypican-1 (GPC1), in small virus-sized particles called exomes. The exomes contain a mixture of DNA, RNA and proteins. Exosome samples from human serum were analyzed using the NanoSight LM10 instrument (NanoSight Ltd, Salisbury, UK). Serum CA19-9 and GPC1 protein levels in patients with pancreatic cancer, pancreatic cancer precursor lesion, or benign pancreatic disease and in healthy donors were assessed using the Cancer Antigen CA19-9 and GPC1 human enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA).

Quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR (qRT–PCR) was performed on DNase-treated ribonucleic acid (RNA) using the Invitrogen SuperScript III Platinum One-Step Quantitative RT–PCR System (Life technologies; Carlsbad, CA, USA; www.lifetechnologies.com) on a 7300 Sequence Detector System (Applied Biosystems; Foster City, CA, USA). Analysis of the discovery cohort revealed that the levels of cancer exomes called GPC1+ crExos distinguish patients with histologically validated pancreatic cancer precursor lesions from healthy donors and patients with benign pancreatic disease. The test passed both measures of a successful diagnostic with top marks: specificity by correctly identifying patients with a disease and sensitivity by correctly ruling out those without the disease.

Raghu Kalluri, PhD, MD, a professor and lead author said, “GPC1+ crExos were detected in small amounts of serum from about 250 patients with pancreatic cancer with absolute specificity and sensitivity, importantly distinguishing patients with chronic pancreatitis from those with early- and late-stage pancreatic cancer. DNA, RNA and proteins can be isolated from cancer exosomes and isolated from stored specimen for further genetic and biological analyses. Therefore, cancer exosomes are not just a biomarker but isolating them provides a trove of cancer-specific information.” The study was published on June 24, 2015 in the journal Nature.

Related Links:

University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
University Hospital of Heidelberg
NanoSight Ltd.


Platinum Member
COVID-19 Rapid Test
OSOM COVID-19 Antigen Rapid Test
Specimen Collection & Transport
Anti-Cyclic Citrullinated Peptide Test
GPP-100 Anti-CCP Kit
New
Gold Member
Plasma Control
Plasma Control Level 1

Print article

Channels

Clinical Chemistry

view channel
Image: Reaching speeds up to 6,000 RPM, this centrifuge forms the basis for a new type of inexpensive, POC biomedical test (Photo courtesy of Duke University)

POC Biomedical Test Spins Water Droplet Using Sound Waves for Cancer Detection

Exosomes, tiny cellular bioparticles carrying a specific set of proteins, lipids, and genetic materials, play a crucial role in cell communication and hold promise for non-invasive diagnostics.... Read more

Molecular Diagnostics

view channel
Image: MOF materials efficiently enrich cfDNA and cfRNA in blood through simple operational process (Photo courtesy of Science China Press)

Blood Circulating Nucleic Acid Enrichment Technique Enables Non-Invasive Liver Cancer Diagnosis

The ability to diagnose diseases early can significantly enhance the effectiveness of clinical treatments and improve survival rates. One promising approach for non-invasive early diagnosis is the use... Read more

Hematology

view channel
Image: The low-cost portable device rapidly identifies chemotherapy patients at risk of sepsis (Photo courtesy of 52North Health)

POC Finger-Prick Blood Test Determines Risk of Neutropenic Sepsis in Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy

Neutropenia, a decrease in neutrophils (a type of white blood cell crucial for fighting infections), is a frequent side effect of certain cancer treatments. This condition elevates the risk of infections,... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2024 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.