Multianalyte profiling of serum cytokines for detection of pancreatic cancer

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Zeh, H.J.^{a; b} | Winikoff, S.^{a; b} | Landsittel, D.P.^c | Gorelik, E.^{b; d} | Marrangoni, A.M.^b | Velikokhatnaya, L.^b | Winans, M.T.^b | Lee, K.^a | Moser, A.^a | Bartlett, D.^{a; b} | Lotze, M.T.^{a; b} | Siegfried, J.M.^{b; h} | Whitcomb, D.^{b; d} | Slivka, A.^{b; e} | Bigbee, W.L.^{b; f} | Lokshin, A.E.^{b; g; *}

Affiliations: [a] Division of Surgical Oncology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA | [b] University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA | [c] Department of Biostatistics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA | [d] Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA | [e] Division of Surgical Oncology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA | [f] Department of Epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA | [g] Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA | [h] Department of Pharmacology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA

Correspondence: [*] Corresponding author: University of Pittsburgh Division of Surgical Oncology and University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, Suite 440 UPMC Cancer Pavilion, 5150 Center Ave, Pittsburgh, PA. 15213, USA

Abstract: Early detection of pancreatic cancer might improve clinical outcome. Significant alterations in the levels of individual serum cytokines have been reported in pancreatic cancer. We hypothesized that a multicytokine panel could serve as biomarkers for pancreatic cancer. To evaluate the diagnostic utility of such a panel, we have utilized a novel multianalyte LabMAP™ profiling technology that allows simultaneous measurement of multiple markers. In this study, a panel of 31 serological markers including cytokines, chemokines, growth and angiogenic factors in combination with CA 19-9 was analyzed in sera of pancreatic cancer patients, patients with chronic pancreatitis, and matched control healthy subjects. Statistical analysis identified a multicytokine panel that was able to distinguish pancreatic cancer from healthy controls with a sensitivity of 85.7% and specificity of 92.3%, which was superior to performance of CA 19-9 alone. Importantly, a multicytokine panel allowed the discrimination of pancreatic cancer from chronic pancreatitis with high sensitivity of 98% and specificity of 96.4%. In conclusion, we demonstrated that analysis of multiple serum cytokines using a novel LabMAP™ technology is a promising approach for development of a diagnostic assay for pancreatic cancer.

Keywords: Pancreatic cancer, chronic pancreatitis, detection, multiplexed, LabMAP™, cytokines

DOI: 10.3233/CBM-2005-1601

Journal: Cancer Biomarkers, vol. 1, no. 6, pp. 259-269, 2005