Evaluating the diagnostic and prognostic value of circulating cathepsin S in gastric cancer

Abstract

To evaluate whether serum Cathepsin S (Cat S) could serve as a biomarker for the diagnosis and prognosis of gastric cancer (GC), Enzyme-linked immuno sorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect serum Cat S in 496 participants including healthy controls and patients with benign gastric diseases, gastric cancer, esophageal cancer, liver cancer, colorectal cancer, nasopharyngeal cancer and lung cancer. The levels of serum Cat S were significantly increased in cancer patients, especially in GC patients. The qRT-PCR, Western blotting, and immunohistochemical staining revealed the overexpression of Cat S in GC cell lines and tissues. The diagnostic value of serum Cat S for GC patients from controls resulted in an AUC of 0.803 with a sensitivity of 60.7% and a specificity of 90.0%. Moreover, the levels of serum Cat S were associated with GC tumor volume, lymphoid nodal status, metastasis status, and stages. Moreover, the patients with high levels of serum Cat S had a poorer overall survival. Univariate analysis revealed Cat S expression was a prognostic factor. The knockdown of Cat S significantly suppressed the migration and invasion of GC cells. This study suggested serum Cat S may be a potential biomarker for the diagnosis and prognosis of GC.

Cathepsin S as a target in gastric cancer (Review)

“…Cat S is of paramount importance in cell migration and invasion. It has been observed that silencing Cat S by specific siRNAs leads to inhibition of GC cell invasion (31). The same was observed for other cancer cells, such as hepatocellular carcinoma, lung adenocarcinoma, and skin melanoma cells.…”

Diagnostic and prognostic value of serum interleukin-16 in patients with gastric cancer

“…Current methods for diagnosis and monitoring of GC include invasive tests, such as endoscopy and biopsy; however, such tests are limited due to their high cost and invasiveness (3). Esophagogastroduodenoscopy, one of the most reliable methods for diagnosis of GC, is broadly used in China, South Korea and Japan, where the incidence rates of GC are high, while the effectiveness and feasibility of gastroscopy is questionable for countries with low GC incidence rates (2).…”

A synthetic urinary probe–coated nanoparticles sensitive to fibroblast activation protein α for solid tumor diagnosis

“…20,21 However, most of the proteases are also found in high concentration in the serum of patients with tumors. For example, a number of studies reported higher circulating levels and enzyme activities of MMPs (2, 7 or 9) and CATs (B, L and K) in various tumors, [22][23][24] suggesting the prodrugs or probes have the potential risk of degradation by these proteases in human blood. Recently, accumulated evidence has shown that there is an increasing interest in FAPα-activated drugs and probes, which have been explored in the diagnosis and treatment of various solid tumors.…”