Evaluation of serum ATX and LPA as potential diagnostic biomarkers in patients with pancreatic cancer

Abstract

Background Pancreatic cancer (PC) is a devastating disease that has a poor prognosis and a total 5-year survival rate of around 5%. The poor prognosis of PC is due in part to a lack of suitable biomarkers that can allow early diagnosis. The lysophospholipase autotaxin (ATX) and its product lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) play an essential role in disease progression in PC patients and are associated with increased morbidity in several types of cancer. In this study, we evaluated both the potential role of serum LPA and ATX as diagnostic markers in PC and their prognostic value for PC either alone or in combination with CA19-9. Methods ATX, LPA and CA19-9 levels were evaluated using ELISA of serum obtained from PC patients (n = 114) healthy volunteers (HVs: n = 120) and patients with benign pancreatic diseases (BPDs: n = 94). Results Serum levels of ATX, LPA and CA19-9 in PC patients were substantially higher than that for BPD patients or HVs (p < 0.001). The sensitivity of LPA in early phase PC was 91.74% and the specificity of ATX was 80%. The levels of ATX, LPA and CA19-9 were all substantially higher for early stage PC patients compared to levels in serum from BPD patients and HVs. The diagnostic efficacy of CA19-9 for PC was significantly enhanced by the addition of ATX and LPA (p = 0.0012). Conclusion Measurement of LPA and ATX levels together with CA19-9 levels can be used for early detection of PC and diagnosis of PC in general.

Sex Differences in Plasma Lysophosphatidic Acid Species in Patients with Alcohol and Cocaine Use Disorders

“…Moreover, alterations in LPA can also result in neurodevelopmental disturbances and neuropsychiatric diseases, such as schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease, and autism [15,16]. As the ATX-LPA axis is usually altered under these pathological states, circulating concentrations of ATX and/or LPA species have been proposed as new biomarkers for the detection of relevant diseases, such as different types of cancer [17,18].…”

High PON1 Expression Predicts Poor Prognosis In Kidney Renal Clear Cell Carcinoma

“…For example, PON3 had a low expression in hepatocellular carcinoma and ovarian serous papillary carcinomas (29,30). Besides, it was reported that LPA acted a pivotal part in the progression of pancreatic cancer and had relationship with certain types of cancer (31). Through the above data, interactions between PON1 and these genes revealed that PON1 might have a potential impact on the progression of KIRC.…”

Simple Serum Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC) Protein Biomarkers—Is There Anything in Sight?

“…A combination of ATX, LPA, and Ca19-9 improved diagnostic accuracy for early-stage PDAC compared to a control group with an AUROC of 0.983 ± 0.016 (p = 0.0012). A panel of ATX, LPA, and Ca19-9 enhanced the AUROC to 0.973 ± 0.023 (p = 0.0090) compared to the BPD group [29]. The levels of all three biomarkers could be used to detect early-stage PDAC patients from patients with BPD or from healthy populations.…”