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Tumour Marker Predicts Malignancy in Biliary-Tract Cancers: Presented at AASLD

By Maria Bishop

BOSTON, MA -- November 9, 2007 -- A tumour marker known as tumour M2-pyruvate kinase (Tu-M2-PK) has been found capable of discriminating between benign and malignant biliary-tract cancer, British researchers reported here at the 58th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease (AASLD).

This finding means there may be a role for the Tu-M2-PK marker in the non-invasive screening of patients at increased risk of biliary-tract cancer, such as those with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), noted lead author James H. Brindley, MD, The Institute of Hepatology, Royal Free & University College London Medical School, London, United Kingdom.

In this study, 75 patients were recruited from the hepatobiliary service at University College Hospital, London, United Kingdom. Three cohorts included patients with biliary-tract cancer (n = 41, mean age 68 years), patients with PSC (n = 11, mean age 59 years), and patients with benign non-PSC conditions (n = 23, mean age 50 years).

A commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit was utilised to measure plasma Tu-M2-PK markers.

The results demonstrated mean plasma M2-PK levels of 114.8 +- 160.9 U/mL in patients with biliary-tract cancer (P =.001), 71.7 ± 81.6 in patients with PSC (P =.031), and 34.3 +- 20.6 in patients with non-PSC benign disease (P =.031).

A correlation also was demonstrated between Tu-M2-PK and clinicopathological characteristics such as bilirubin level, tumour size, and the serum tumour marker CA 19-9.

High plasma Tu-M2-PK levels in combination with raised serum CA 19-9 were associated with poor patient survival in biliary-tract cancer, the researchers stated. A high plasma Tu-M2-PK level also may indicate an aggressive biliary-tract cancer.

A reliable, non-invasive tumour marker will be extremely useful in diagnosing biliary-tract cancers at an earlier stage of the disease, Dr. Brindley noted. Biliary-tract cancers have low prognoses unless they are caught early.

Biliary cancers occur in the liver, pancreas, gallbladder, and extrahepatic bile ducts. In patients with PSC, the bile ducts inside and outside the liver become inflamed and scarred, eventually blocking the ducts and causing a build-up of bile that damages liver cells.

Technical support for this study was provided by ScheBo-Biotech UK, Ltd.


[Presentation title: Tumour M2-Pyruvate Kinase has a Diagnostic and Prognostic Role in Biliary Tract Cancer. Abstract 380]

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