Opposite variation tendencies of serum CA724 levels in patients with colon and rectal carcinoma

The prognostic value of preoperative serum CA724 for CEA-normal colorectal cancer patients

Background and Purpose

There had been no recognized serum tumor marker to predict the prognosis of colorectal cancer (CRC) patients with normal preoperative serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels. The purpose of this study was to determine whether preoperative serum carbohydrate antigen 724 (CA724) was of predictive function for the prognosis of CRC patients with normal CEA levels.

Methods

The medical records of 295 CRC patients with normal CEA levels who underwent surgery at the Department of Colorectal Anal Surgery of the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University (Guangxi, China) between September 2012 and September 2014 were retrospectively reviewed. The Chi-square test was used to test the correlation between preoperative serum CA724 levels and clinical features. Kaplan–Meier curves were conducted to calculate the overall survival (OS) rate and disease-free survival (DFS) of patients. Cox regression analysis was applied to conduct univariate and multivariate analysis of the following four preoperative serum tumor makers namely CA724, carbohydrate antigen 199 (CA199), carcinoembryonic antigen 125 (CA125), carcinoembryonic antigen 242 (CA242) and clinical features. Nomograms for prognostic parameter of OS and DFS were developed using R v3.2.5.

Results

In the Chi-square test, only pathological node stage (pN stage) (X² = 14.514, P = 0.001) and differentiation (X² = 10.712, P = 0.001) were associated with serum CA724 levels. In the Kaplan–Meier analysis, the results revealed that the OS and DFS in patients with high CA724 was poorer than those with normal. In the multivariate Cox regression analysis of OS and DFS, only pT stage, pN stage, metastasis and serum CA724 were independent prognostic risk factors for CRC patients with normal CEA levels.

Conclusion

Preoperative serum CA724 might serve as a potential prognostic factor for CRC patients with normal serum CEA levels.

Preoperative Tim‑3 expression on peripheral NK cells is correlated with pathologic TNM staging in colorectal cancer

Previous research has indicated that T cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain 3 (Tim-3) serves an important regulatory role in lymphocytes and in several cancers. However, the association between Tim‑3 expression on various lymphocyte subsets and human colorectal cancer (CRC) has not been elucidated. The present study aimed to characterize Tim‑3 expression on peripheral lymphocytes, including cluster of differentiation CD3+CD56‑ T cells, CD3‑CD56+ natural killer (NK) cells and CD3+CD56+ natural killer T (NKT) cells, in patients with CRC. The frequency of T cells, NK cells and NKT cells expressing Tim‑3 was assessed by multicolor flow cytometry of peripheral blood collected from 36 preoperative CRC patients and 38 healthy donors. The expression of Tim‑3 on lymphocyte subsets from 53 postoperative blood samples of CRC patients was also analyzed. There were fewer circulating NK cells in patients with CRC compared with healthy controls (P=0.0027); NK cell expression of Tim‑3 was also significantly decreased (P=0.0239). The frequency of circulating NK cells and Tim‑3+ NK cells was negatively correlated with clinical cancer stage, compared with healthy controls, but not with other clinicopathological parameters or serum concentrations of CRC biomarkers. Furthermore, the expression of Tim‑3 in NK cells was higher in CRC patients without metastasis. Notably, NK cell Tim‑3 expression in CRC patients was significantly restored following surgical resection of the primary tumor. In conclusion, the present study indicates the presence of an altered frequency and expression of Tim‑3 in peripheral NK cells in CRC patients. Preoperative Tim‑3 expression on peripheral NK cells is correlated with differential staging in colorectal cancer, and may be useful as a serum biomarker.

Nomograms for predicting the prognostic value of serological tumor biomarkers in colorectal cancer patients after radical resection

A wide range of serum tumor biomarkers, including CA19-9, CA242, CA72-4, CA50, and CA125, has been studied in association with colorectal cancer (CRC). However, few previous studies have comprehensively considered the above tumor biomarkers to assess their clinical significance in predicting prognosis. Data from Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center (FUSCC) between January 1, 2007 and December 30, 2012 was retrospectively analyzed. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to assess the association between prognostic factors and survival outcomes. Nomograms were established based on multivariate Cox regression model analysis for overall survival (OS) and disease free survival (DFS), and c-indexes were 0.772 (95% CI: 0.724-0.820) and 0.715 (95% CI: 0.678–0.752), respectively. Subgroup analyses according to CEA status (high/normal) suggested that CA724 was the only independent prognostic factor for OS (P = 0.001) and DFS (P < 0.001) in the CEA-high group, while, in the CEA-normal group, the only independent prognostic factor for OS (P = 0.031) and DFS (P = 0.043) was CA50. CA50 and CA724 could supplement CEA in monitoring recurrence and metastasis. Accordingly, nomograms based on CEA, CA50, CA724 and other clinical-pathological factors could improve prognosis prediction for colorectal cancer patients.