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Peter Staib, Melanie Hoffmann, Timo Schinköthe
Plasma levels of tumor M2-pyruvate kinase should not be used as a tumor marker for hematological malignancies and solid tumors
Keywords: acute inflammatory reaction, dimeric isoenzyme, leukemia, lymphoma, tumor M2-pyruvate kinase (Tu M2-PK)
It has been reported that the dimeric isoform of the enzyme pyruvate kinase M2 was overexpressed in various solid tumor cells. Hence, it was suggested that circulating levels of the so-called tumor M2-pyruvate kinase (Tu M2-PK) could be used as a tumor marker for monitoring systemic therapies of various solid tumors. We analyzed its validity as a tumor marker by comparing plasma levels of Tu M2-PK in patients with different non-malignant diseases to levels in healthy individuals and in patients with hematological diseases. Plasma levels of Tu M2-PK were measured using an ELISA assay in a total of 284 patients. The mean Tu M2-PK concentration of 32 U/mL was significantly higher in the group of patients with hematological malignancies (n=121) (p<0.001). However, 37% of healthy individuals (n=63) and 44% of patients with non-malignant diseases (n=100), especially patients with an acute inflammatory reaction (67%), were found to have elevated levels of Tu M2-PK using a cutoff level of 15 U/mL. The specificity was 59% and the sensitivity was 51%. There was no significant correlation between the prevalence of a hematological malignancy and positive Tu M2-PK result. Thus, our data imply that Tu M2-PK is not a useful tumor marker for hematological malignancies and solid tumors, as a significant number of false positive results were detected in healthy individuals and patients with non-malignant diseases.
Clinical Chemical Laboratory Medicine, Walter de Gruyter
Print ISSN: 1434-6621
Volume: 44, 01/2006
Pages: 28 - 31