IDENTIFICATION OF NUCLEAR MATRIX PROTEIN ALTERATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH RENAL CELL CARCINOMA:

An office-based immunodiagnostic assay for detecting urinary nuclear matrix protein 52 in patients with bladder cancer

OBJECTIVE

To report the rapid (5 min) and simple detection of a nuclear matrix protein (NMP) in the urine of patients with bladder cancer, using a newly developed office-based dot-enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Western blot and specific immunoglobulin-G antibody were used to identify the urinary NMP marker. Urine samples from 149 patients with bladder cancer and 72 controls were evaluated using the developed dot-ELISA. The initial responses of 43 patients treated by irradiation were followed using the assay.

RESULTS

The NMP marker was identified in the urine of patients with bladder cancer at 52 kDa (NMP-52) by Western blot. The dot-ELISA detected the urinary NMP-52 marker in 92% of patients with squamous cell carcinoma, 98% with transitional cell carcinoma, and all six of those with adenocarcinoma of the bladder, with a specificity of 94%. The positive and negative predictive values (97% and 94%, respectively) and efficiency (96%) of the dot-ELISA were high. In addition, the NMP-52 tumour marker was not detected in the urine of patients who showed a response after radiotherapy.

CONCLUSION

Detecting the urinary NMP-52 marker using dot-ELISA would be helpful in the rapid diagnosis and follow-up of patients with bladder cancer.

Noninvasive testing for colorectal cancer: a review

OBJECTIVES

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States. Endoscopic screening is now in favor and its use is increasing, but overall participation rates are poor. A substantial percentage of the population will likely continue to resist endoscopic screening. As such, a noninvasive biomarker for the early detection of CRC remains a priority. Herein, we (i) review the currently available noninvasive screening markers for the early detection of CRC, (ii) discuss newer markers that have undergone preliminary testing, and (iii) introduce and explain potentially promising markers of the future.

METHODS

The published literature on markers for early detection of CRC was identified using a MEDLINE/PubMed search with secondary review of cited publications.

RESULTS

Noninvasive testing for CRC is most advanced in testing for stool fecal occult blood, globin, or DNA mutations. Study of abnormal mucins has also been explored. Research for serum-based markers is just beginning and includes serum proteomics, nuclear matrix proteins, and serum DNA testing.

CONCLUSIONS

Serial guaiac-based fecal occult blood testing (FOBT) is simple, inexpensive, and proven effective at reducing mortality from CRC. Immunochemical fecal occult blood tests facilitate compliance and offer improved specificity, but at increased cost in comparison to FOBT. Fecal DNA testing may provide enhanced sensitivity for detection of CRC in comparison with FOBT, but its high cost limits its use for generalized screening. Rectal mucin testing requires additional evaluation to determine its sensitivity and specificity in comparison with guaiac-based FOBT. Serum tests, such as proteomics, nuclear matrix proteins, and serum DNA, are still in their infancy, but remain a hope for the future.