February 18, 2025

New Blood Protein Identified as Highly Accurate Biomarker for Gastric Cancer and Other Gastrointestinal Cancers

Researchers from Nagoya University have identified a blood protein that can serve as a reliable marker for gastric cancer and other gastrointestinal cancers. This groundbreaking discovery offers a highly accurate diagnostic method, even in the early stages of the disease. The findings have the potential to enable earlier detection and treatment of gastrointestinal cancers, which are often difficult to identify and contribute to high mortality rates.

The late detection of gastrointestinal cancers, including esophageal, gastric, colorectal, liver, and pancreatic cancers, greatly affects the efficacy of treatment and overall patient outcomes. While there are existing biomarkers used to detect cancer, they can be unreliable and fail to identify all cancer types. Additionally, these biomarkers often require complex and costly measurement procedures. Recognizing the need for a more accurate and easily accessible diagnostic test, the researchers set out to identify a protein that could serve as a trustworthy marker for gastric cancer.

The study’s lead author, Takahiro Shinozuka, explained that current blood tests for detecting cancers like gastric, colorectal, and breast cancer rely on tumor markers such as CEA and CA19-9. However, these markers do not consistently detect all types of cancer, prompting the need for improved accuracy. Other proposed markers have limitations such as intricate measurement procedures or invasive testing methods, which hinder their widespread use.

In their research, the team utilized a dataset of previously reported secretomes, which are proteins expressed by cells, tissues, and organs. By examining gastric cancer cell lines, they identified a new biomarker that could be detected in blood samples. The researchers identified stromal cell-derived factor 4 (SDF4) as a potential serum diagnostic tumor marker for gastric cancer.

To validate the effectiveness of SDF4 as a diagnostic marker, the researchers collected blood samples from 582 patients with gastrointestinal cancers, including gastric, breast, colorectal, pancreatic, esophageal, and liver cancer. They also included 80 healthy individuals as controls. The results showed consistently elevated levels of SDF4 in the cancer samples. Notably, in patients with gastric cancer, the levels of SDF4 increased as the clinical stage progressed, with significantly higher levels observed in patients with stage 1 gastric cancer compared to healthy controls. This suggests that the test can detect gastric cancer at an early stage, even before symptoms manifest.

The researchers found that SDF4 exhibited a sensitivity of 89% and a specificity of 99% as a biomarker for gastric cancer. Sensitivity refers to the test’s ability to accurately identify the disease in sick patients, while specificity indicates its ability to correctly classify individuals who do not have the disease. High sensitivity ensures minimal false negative results. In comparison, the conventional tumor markers CEA and CA19-9 demonstrated sensitivities of only 13% and 17%, respectively.

Although the study had a small sample size and originated from a single Japanese institution, the researchers acknowledge the need for larger-scale studies involving diverse patient populations to establish the diagnostic significance of SDF4 and translate the findings into clinical practice. However, they remain optimistic about the potential of using SDF4 as a diagnostic marker for gastric and other gastrointestinal cancers.

According to Shinozuka, SDF4 surpasses conventional tumor markers in two key aspects. Firstly, it can detect early-stage cancers, enabling timely intervention and treatment. Secondly, it demonstrates utility as a diagnostic marker for various types of cancer. The researchers are collaborating with a company to develop measurement devices that can be used for cancer screening. If successful, these efforts may lead to the incorporation of SDF4 into routine cancer screenings, facilitating the early detection of cancer and improved patient outcomes.

Note:

  1. Source: Coherent Market Insights, Public sources, Desk research
  2. We have leveraged AI tools to mine information and compile it

Money Singh

Money Singh is a seasoned content writer with over four years of experience in the market research sector. Her expertise spans various industries, including food and beverages, biotechnology, chemical and materials, defense and aerospace, consumer goods, etc.

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