Prognostic signifi cance of the preoperative serum levels of soluble form of endoglin in gastric cancer patients

Abstract

Background: Gastric cancer is the second commonest cause of cancer-associated deaths in the world. Its molecular markers can be useful not only for the diagnostic pursuit but also for prognostic purposes. Endoglin was proposed as a marker of neovascularization in solid malignancies. A circulating form of endoglin is referred to as soluble endoglin (sol-end).The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical importance of serum level of soluble form of sol-end in gastric cancer patients. Materials and methods: Serum levels of sol-end were measured in 69 healthy controls and in 60 gastric adenocarcinoma patients with ELISA and serum levels of sol-end were compared with clinicopathological features and outcomes in gastric cancer patients. Results: Serum levels of sol-end in gastric adenocancer patients were signifi cantly higher than in control patients (p<0.001). The serum levels of sol-end did not differ relative to clinical and pathologic criteria. Conclusion: Presented data suggest that serum levels of sol-end do not seem to be a valuable tool in the assessment of gastric cancer prognosis (Tab. 1, Ref. 11). Full Text in PDF www.elis.sk.