Comparative serum proteomic analysis involving liver organ-specific metastasis-associated proteins of nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Abstract

Metastasis is the main cause of cancer-related mortality; patients with liver metastases (LM) have the worst prognosis among patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). However, at present, few biomarkers for detecting organ-specific metastasis have been identified. Proteomics, an ultra-sensitive analytical technique, can detect molecular changes before organ-specific metastasis occurs. Analysis with matrix-assisted, laser desorption-ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS), combined with magnetic chemical affinity beads is a new technique for evaluating protein separation. We sought to identify potential liver-specific, metastasis-associated proteomic printing in patients with NPC. We examined 64 serum samples from 50 patients who had pathologically confirmed NPC and 14 who had pathologically confirmed non-NPC with LM using MALDI-TOF-MS with weak cation bead protein chips. During follow-up of at least 37 months (maximum, 176 months) following radiotherapy, we confirmed 16 cases of LM (LM NPC), 16 cases without LM (non-LM NPC) and 18 cases without metastasis (non-M NPC). Using comparison analysis, 4 protein mass peaks, 4155.34, 4194.87, 4210.78 and 4249.56 m/z were identified as liver-specific, metastasis-associated protein peaks in NPC and two of them (4155 and 4249 m/z) met two different statistical criteria in both ClinProt software analyses and discriminant analyses. Models based on the 4 potential serum markers of NPC discriminated between LM NPC, non-LM NPC, non-M NPC and non-NPC LM analyzed with sieved markers. The recognition capability and cross-validation of these models for differentiating the above 4 groups are all approximately 80%. MALDI-TOF-MS combined with tree analysis models may provide a clinical diagnostic platform for detecting potential liver-specific, metastasis-associated proteomic printing in NPC. However, markedly differential proteins still need to be identified.

Hepatic artery infusion pump for nasopharyngeal carcinoma with liver metastasis

“…About one-third of patients with NPC suffer of distant metastases and resultant treatment failure [15]. Liver metastasis is the second common metastasis site, which accounts for 30% of such cases, following bone metastasis (70%) and followed by lung metastasis (18%) [16], but has the worst prognosis (with reported mOS of 3-5 months) [6,7]. Thus it is of significance to explore new therapeutic strategy.…”

“…The most common metastatic sites are bone, liver and lung [5]. Liver metastases of NPC often present as multifocal nodules, and unfortunately has worse prognosis compared with metastasis to bone or to lung, with median overall survival of 3-5 months [6,7]. According to NCCN guidelines, treatment options for metastatic NPC include Clinical trials (preferred), Platinum-based combination chemotherapy or concurrent chemo/radiotherapy [8], but the clinical outcome is still limited.…”

A Review: Proteomics in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

“…NPC usually metastasizes to the lung, bone and liver, and the prognosis is often poor. To investigate whether the behaviour of liver metastasis is associated with changes in the plasma proteins of NPC, serum proteins from NPC with liver metastasis and NPC without liver metastasis were analyzed by MALDI-TOF-MS [ 147 ]. As a result, four proteins that were highly expressed in NPC patients with liver metastasis as displayed in Table 3 were useful diagnostic markers for the existence of liver metastasis in NPC [ 147 ].…”

Network analysis of microRNAs, transcription factors, target genes and host genes in nasopharyngeal carcinoma

“…Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a non-lymphomatous, squamous-cell carcinoma that is particularly prevalent in Southeast Asia and North Africa (1,2). Previous studies have suggested that differentially expressed genes and microRNAs (miRNAs or miRs), and the corresponding genes and miRNAs associated with them, participate in the pathogenesis of NPC (1,3).…”