Tumour Marker Predicts Malignancy in Biliary-Tract Cancers: Presented at AASLD

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Tumour Marker

Predicts Malignancy in Biliary-Tract Cancers: Presented at AASLD

By Bishop

BOSTON, MA -- November 9, 2007 -- A tumour marker

known as tumour M2-pyruvate kinase

(Tu-M2-PK) has been found capable of discriminating between benign and

malignant biliary-tract cancer, British researchers reported here at the 58th

Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver

Disease (AASLD).

This finding means there may be a role for the Tu-M2-PK marker in the

non-invasive screening of patients at increased risk of biliary-tract cancer,

such as those with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), noted lead author H. Brindley, MD, The Institute of Hepatology, Royal

Free & University College

London Medical School,

London, United Kingdom.

In this study, 75 patients were recruited from the hepatobiliary

service at University College

Hospital, London,

United Kingdom. Three cohorts included patients with biliary-tract cancer

(n = 41, mean age 68 years), patients with PSC (n = 11, mean age 59 years), and

patients with benign non-PSC conditions (n = 23, mean age 50 years).

A commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent

assay (ELISA) kit was utilised to measure plasma

Tu-M2-PK markers.

The results demonstrated mean plasma M2-PK levels of 114.8 +- 160.9 U/mL in patients with biliary-tract cancer (P =.001), 71.7 ± 81.6 in patients with PSC

(P =.031), and 34.3 +- 20.6 in

patients with non-PSC benign disease (P

=.031).

A correlation also was demonstrated between Tu-M2-PK and clinicopathological

characteristics such as bilirubin level, tumour size, and the serum tumour

marker CA 19-9.

High plasma Tu-M2-PK levels in combination with raised serum CA 19-9 were

associated with poor patient survival in biliary-tract cancer, the researchers

stated. A high plasma Tu-M2-PK level also may indicate

an aggressive biliary-tract cancer.

A reliable, non-invasive tumour marker will be

extremely useful in diagnosing biliary-tract cancers at an earlier stage of the

disease, Dr. Brindley noted. Biliary-tract

cancers have low prognoses unless they are caught early.

Biliary

cancers occur in the liver, pancreas, gallbladder, and extrahepatic bile ducts. In patients with PSC, the bile ducts inside and outside

the liver become inflamed and scarred, eventually blocking the ducts and

causing a build-up of bile that damages liver cells.

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Son Ken (33) UC 91 - PSC 99 - Tx 6/21 & 6/30/07 @ Baylor in Dallas