Circulating galectin-3 correlates with angiogenetic factors, indicators of nutritional condition and systemic inflammation in patients with thyroid cancer

Abstract

Background and Aims: Several investigators have reported the significance of circulating galectin-3 in thyroid cancer patients. However, the precise meaning of circulating galectin-3 remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships between serum galectin-3 levels and angiogenetic factors, and nutritional and inflammatory indicators in patients with thyroid cancer. Materials and Methods: Sixty-one patients with thyroid tumors were enrolled, comprising 47 pre-treatment thyroid cancer patients and 14 patients with benign thyroid diseases. Galectin-3, interleukin (IL)-6, vascular endothelial growth factor, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), soluble form of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1), retinol binding protein, prealbumin, albumin, and transferrin were measured. C-reactive protein (CRP), neutrophil count, lymphocyte count, and neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) were also investigated. Results: The amounts of circulating galectin-3 in benign disease and thyroid cancer were significantly higher than those of healthy volunteers (P < 0.001). Analysis of galectin-3 performance in distinguishing malignant disease from benign disease using a receiver operating characteristic curve revealed that the area under the curve was 0.555. There were statistically significant correlations between the circulating amount of galectin-3 and IL6, G-CSF, and sICAM-1. Serum galectin-3 showed statistically significant correlations with albumin, prealbumin, and transferrin. Circulating galectin-3 exhibited strong correlations with CRP, neutrophil count, lymphocyte count, and NLR. Conclusions: Galectin-3 may be one of the key factors in the regulation of angiogenesis, inflammation, and nutrition.

Thyroid cancer risk in the Swedish AMORIS study: the role of inflammatory biomarkers in serum

“…Moreover, inflammation is thought to play a role in papillary carcinoma of the thyroid, which is characterized by the presence of chemokine-guided macrophage and dendritic cell infiltration [ 20 – 22 ]. However, the majority of the studies investigating serum biomarkers and thyroid carcinogenesis have focused on progression and treatment response, with little focus on the risks of developing thyroid cancer [ 6 , 8 , 23 ].…”

“…For thyroid cancer, histological studies have confirmed the infiltration of white blood cell components such as CD8+ and CD4+ regulatory T lymphocytes in cancer tissues [ 4 ]. Moreover, increased levels of positive acute phase proteins like C-reactive protein (CRP), haptoglobin, galectin-3, IL6, G-CSF, sICAM-1, high neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and decreased levels of negative acute phase proteins like albumin, pre-albumin, and transferrin have been found in sera of patients with thyroid cancers [ 5 – 8 ]. Epidemiological studies have also suggested a link between chronic inflammation and risk factors for developing a thyroid cancer such as radiation exposure during childhood or as an occupational hazard [ 9 ], downstream genetic mechanisms in familial thyroid cancer syndromes [ 10 ], Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis [ 11 ], obesity [ 12 ], Hepatitis C-related chronic hepatitis [ 13 ] and increased parity and lactation [ 14 ].…”