Test for biomarkers may detect kidney cancer early
A new immunoassay that tests for the presence of three biomarkers appears to be a valid screening method for the early detection of renal cell carcinoma, according to a recent study.
A new immunoassay that tests for the presence of three biomarkers appears to be a valid screening method for the early detection of renal cell carcinoma, according to a recent study.
The new immunoassay developed by senior author Nam Hoon Cho, MD, and colleagues from Genomine Inc. measured the levels of three potential biomarkers for kidney cancer: nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT), L-plastin (LCP1), and nonmetastatic cells 1 protein (NM23A).
Using this assay, the authors measured concentrations of NNMT, LCP1, and NM23A in 189 plasma samples from 102 healthy controls and patients with benign tumors and 87 patients with kidney cancer.
Plasma levels indicated that all three biomarkers were highly elevated in patients with kidney cancer. For example, the median level of NNMT concentration in healthy controls was 68 pg/mL compared with 420 pg/mL for patients with kidney cancer.
Next, the authors tested the ability of the immunoassay to distinguish plasma samples from healthy controls and patients with kidney cancer using the same 189 plasma samples already tested. The results indicated that the three-marker assay was highly accurate. When it correctly identified 90% of the samples from healthy controls, it also correctly identified 94.4% of the samples from patients with kidney cancer.
To validate the accuracy of the test, the authors blind-tested an additional 100 plasma samples from 73 healthy controls and 27 patients with kidney cancer. In this analysis, 67 of the samples from the 73 healthy controls and all of the samples from patients with kidney cancer were classified correctly.
"If this biomarker is truly valid and accurate to detect renal cell carcinoma, a number of patients with renal cell carcinoma could potentially be saved through early diagnosis," said Dr. Cho, of Yonsei University Health System in Seoul, Korea.
Dr. Cho and colleagues hope that this biomarker will soon be commercially available. They are currently working toward FDA approval.
Results from the study were published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention (2013; 22:390-8).
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