Serum olfactomedin 4 (GW112, hGC‐1) in combination with Reg IV is a highly sensitive biomarker for gastric cancer patients

Abstract

Gastric cancer (GC) is 1 of the most common human cancers. Early detection remains the most promising approach to improving long‐term survival of patients with GC. We previously performed Serial Analysis of Gene Expression (SAGE) on 4 primary GCs and identified several GC‐specific genes including Reg IV. Of these genes, olfactomedin 4 (OLFM4, also known as GW112 or hGC‐1) is a candidate gene for cancer‐specific expression. In this study, we examined the expression of olfactomedin 4 in human GC by immunohistochemistry. We also assessed serum olfactomedin 4 levels in GC patients by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. 94 (56%) of 167 GC cases were positive for olfactomedin 4 by immunostaining. Olfactomedin 4 staining was observed more frequently in stage I/II cases than in stage III/IV cases. The serum olfactomedin 4 concentration in presurgical GC patients (n = 123, mean ± SE, 36.3 ± 3.5 ng/mL) was significantly higher than that in healthy individuals (n = 76, 16.6 ± 1.6 ng/mL). In patients with stage I GC, the sensitivity of serum olfactomedin 4 (25%) and Reg IV (35%) was superior to that of CA19‐9 (5%) or CEA (3%). Furthermore, in patients with stage I GC, the combination of olfactomedin 4 and Reg IV elevated the diagnostic sensitivity to 52%. These results suggest that serum olfactomedin 4 is a useful marker for GC and its measurement alone or in combination with Reg IV has utility in the early detection of GC. © 2009 UICC

Olfactomedin 4 (GW112, hGC-1) is an independent prognostic marker for survival in patients with colorectal cancer

“…enhanced olfactomedin 4 expression has been reported in gastric cancer by northern blot analysis (7) and by immunostaining (8). Our previous immunohistochemical analysis revealed that olfactomedin 4 is expressed in 56% of gastric cancer tissues (9). in addition, olfactomedin 4 is a secreted protein, and we showed that serum olfactomedin 4 represents a novel biomarker for gastric cancer (9).…”

“…Our previous immunohistochemical analysis revealed that olfactomedin 4 is expressed in 56% of gastric cancer tissues (9). in addition, olfactomedin 4 is a secreted protein, and we showed that serum olfactomedin 4 represents a novel biomarker for gastric cancer (9). in crc patients, preoperative serum levels of olfactomedin 4 were increased in a small number of samples, and the sensitivities of serum olfactomedin 4 at stage i-iii were lower than those of cea (9).…”

“…in addition, olfactomedin 4 is a secreted protein, and we showed that serum olfactomedin 4 represents a novel biomarker for gastric cancer (9). in crc patients, preoperative serum levels of olfactomedin 4 were increased in a small number of samples, and the sensitivities of serum olfactomedin 4 at stage i-iii were lower than those of cea (9). in addition to gastric cancer, OLFM4 mrna and olfactomedin 4 protein overexpression have been reported in CRC (10,11).…”

Olfactomedin III expression contributes to anoikis-resistance in clonal variants of a human lung squamous carcinoma cell line

“…The fact that the olfactomedins have been identified only in multicellular organisms suggests that they play a role in cell-cell interaction and signalling. Olfactomedins are involved in normal development and are associated with several diseases including open-angle glaucoma and cancer [18][19][20][21][22]. OLFM1 and 3 are expressed mainly in the brain, OLFM2 in the pancreas and prostate, and OLFM4 in the bone marrow, small intestine, colon and prostate [15].…”

“…Recently, both OLFM1 and OLFM4 expression have been linked to early stage lung cancer, while OLFM4 expression has also been implicated in early stages of gastric, colon and breast cancer [19][20][21]. It may be that expression of OLFM3 in DLKP-SQ reflects an early stage cancer.…”