Serum nectin-2 levels are diagnostic and prognostic in patients with colorectal carcinoma

• Published in: Clinical & translational oncology Vol. 18; no. 2; pp. 160 - 171
• Main Authors: Karabulut, M., Gunaldi, M., Alis, H., Afsar, C. U., Karabulut, S., Serilmez, M., Akarsu, C., Seyit, H., Aykan, N. F.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Milan Springer Milan 01-02-2016
• Subjects: Adenocarcinoma - blood; Adenocarcinoma - mortality; Adenocarcinoma - pathology; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Biomarkers, Tumor - blood; Cell Adhesion Molecules - blood; Colorectal Neoplasms - blood; Colorectal Neoplasms - mortality; Colorectal Neoplasms - pathology; Disease-Free Survival; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Female; Humans; Kaplan-Meier Estimate; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Middle Aged; Nectins; Oncology; Prognosis; Research Article; Young Adult; Serum; Diagnostic; Progression-free survival; Nectin-2; Prognostic; Colorectal cancer
• ISSN: 1699-048X; 1699-3055
• DOI: 10.1007/s12094-015-1348-1

Introduction
Nectins are a family of integral protein and immunoglobulin-like cell adhesion molecules involved in the formation of functioning adherence and tight junctions. Aberrant expression is associated with cancer progression, apoptosis and cell proliferation but little is known how these effects change in cell behavior. The objective of this study was to evaluate the serum levels of nectin-2 with regard to diagnostic, predictive and prognostic value in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients.
Materials and methods
One-hundred and forty CRC patients were enrolled in this study. Serum nectin-2 levels were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method. Age- and sex-matched 40 healthy controls were included in the analysis.
Results
Median age of patients was 60 years old, range 24–84 years. The localization of tumor in majority of the patients was colon (
n
 = 81, 58 %). Non-metastatic (stage II and III) and metastatic patients’ baseline serum nectin-2 levels were significantly higher than those in the healthy control group (
p
 < 0.001; for two group). However, known clinical variables including response to CTx (chemotherapy) were not found to be correlated with serum nectin-2 concentrations (
p
 > 0.05). While non-metastatic group patients with elevated serum nectin-2 levels showed significant adverse effect on PFS, metastatic group patients with elevated serum nectin-2 levels showed no significant adverse effect on PFS (
p
 = 0.05 and
p
 = 0.29, respectively). On the other hand, our study results did not show statistically significant serum nectin-2 concentrations regarding overall survival rates.
Conclusion
Serum levels of nectin-2 may have diagnostic roles for CRC patients. Moreover, our study results show the prognostic role of nectin-2 in non-metastatic group patients.