Background: Macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) regulates the proliferation and supports the viability of monocytes, macrophages, and their bone marrow progenitors. M-CSF is found in high concentrations in the serum of patients with various malignancies. This study aimed to evaluate the association between serum levels of M-CSF and clinicopathological features in a B-cell lymphoma patient group. Methods: Data of 101 patients with B-cell lymphoma and 48 healthy control subjects were evaluated. Staging for B-cell lymphoma was performed according to the Lugano criteria. Serum M-CSF concentrations were measured using the Quantikine ELISA Human M-CSF Immunoassay (R&D Systems, Inc., USA). We established a 95th percentile reference interval in healthy controls and reviewed the clinicopathological characteristics. Results: The 95th percentile of the serum M-CSF in healthy controls was 48.8-173.0 pg/mL. The mean serum M-CSF level in the patient group was significantly higher than that in the healthy control group (293.3±270.9 pg/mL vs. 97.3±34.6 pg/mL, P < 0.001). The mean M-CSF level was significantly higher in patients aged >60 years (P =0.027), and those with diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (P =0.046), advanced stages (P < 0.001), abnormal free light chain ratios (P =0.036), high-risk international prognostic index scores (P < 0.001), and lactate dehydrogenase above the reference range (P =0.002). Conclusions: Our findings suggest that elevated serum M-CSF levels have an association with adverse clinicopathological features in B-cell lymphoma patients and may be a potential prognostic predictor.

Background: The use of plasma autoantibodies associated with cancer as tumor biomarkers has been studied for several decades. We investigated the diagnostic significance of the ratio of CYFRA 21-1-anti-CYFRA 21-1 autoantibody immune complex (CIC), an autoantibody-binding form of CYFRA 21-1, to free CYFRA 21-1 in patients with colon cancer. Methods: Overall, 50 patients with colon cancer and 120 healthy control subjects were included. Plasma CIC and CYFRA 21-1 levels were measured using a 9G DNA chip (Biometrix Technology Inc., Korea), and the CIC/CYFRA 21-1 ratios were calculated. Data were compared using the Student t-test or Mann-Whitney U-test. P-values <0.05 were considered to indicate statistical significance. We performed receiver operating characteristic curve analysis to determine the optimal CIC/CYFRA 21-1 cutoff ratio for detecting colon cancer. Results: The CIC/CYFRA 21-1 ratio was significantly higher in the colon cancer group than in the healthy control group (mean±standard deviation, 1.81±0.75 vs. 1.23±0.37; P<0.001). The optimal cutoff ratio of CIC/CYFRA 21-1 for detecting colon cancer was 1.40 (area under curve [AUC], 0.749; 95% confidence interval, 0.658-0.839; P<0.001), with a sensitivity of 68.0% and specificity of 74.2%. The CIC/CYFRA 21-1 ratio showed higher AUC, sensitivity, and specificity than CYFRA 21-1 or CIC alone. Conclusions: The plasma CIC/CYFRA 21-1 ratio can be a useful tumor marker in colon cancer.