The diagnostic value of circulating stanniocalcin-1 mRNA in non-small cell lung cancer

J Surg Oncol. 2011 Dec;104(7):836-40. doi: 10.1002/jso.21948. Epub 2011 Jun 7.

Abstract

Background and objectives: Previous studies have suggested that the aberrant expression of Stanniocalcin-1 (STC1) occurs in tumor cells. In this study, we explored whether the circulating STC1 mRNA is a promising biomarker in the peripheral blood in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Methods: The level of circulating STC1 mRNA was determined with a sensitive quantitative real-time reverse transcription PCR assay. and the data were analyzed by the statistical methods of one-way ANOVA, Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon U-Test, and Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis.

Results: The level of circulating STC1 mRNA in patients with NSCLC was significantly higher than in patients with benign pulmonary disease (P < 0.001) or healthy volunteers (P < 0.001). Higher levels of circulating STC1 mRNA were associated with more advanced tumor stages and histological subtypes. Using a cutoff of 0.055, the sensitivity and specificity of STC1 mRNA levels to differentiate between patients with NSCLC and patients with benign pulmonary diseases was 66.7 and 90.9%, and it was 63.7 and 99.8% for patients with NSCLC and healthy volunteers, respectively.

Conclusions: These findings support our hypothesis that circulating STC1 mRNA is a promising biomarker in the peripheral blood.

Publication types

  • Evaluation Study

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Biomarkers, Tumor / blood*
  • Biomarkers, Tumor / genetics
  • Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / diagnosis*
  • Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / genetics
  • Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / pathology
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Diagnosis, Differential
  • Female
  • Glycoproteins / blood*
  • Glycoproteins / genetics
  • Humans
  • Lung Diseases / diagnosis
  • Lung Diseases / genetics
  • Lung Diseases / pathology
  • Lung Neoplasms / diagnosis*
  • Lung Neoplasms / genetics
  • Lung Neoplasms / pathology
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Neoplastic Cells, Circulating / metabolism*
  • RNA, Messenger / analysis*
  • RNA, Messenger / blood
  • ROC Curve
  • Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Sensitivity and Specificity

Substances

  • Biomarkers, Tumor
  • Glycoproteins
  • RNA, Messenger
  • teleocalcin