Study on plasmatumor type M2 pyruvate kinase in patients with coloretal cancer and their clinical value

Objective:To assess plasma levels of tumor M2 pyruvate kinase (TU M2-PK) in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients.Methods:Plasma levels of TU M2-PK were measured in 16 healthy donors and 40 patients with colorectal cancer by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)(postoperative plasma have been measured in 22 patients and postchemotherapy plasma have been measured in 7 patients who accepted the chemotherapy of XELOX once).Meanwhile,the concentration of serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) has also been determined.Results:Plasma TU M2-PK levels in patients with CRC were significantly raised compared with those in healthy donors ( P 0.01).Plasma TU M2-PK levels were associated significantly with Duke's stage ( P 0.01),recurrence and distant metastasis( P 0.01).In CRC patients,preoperative TU M2-PK levels were higher in patients with lymph node metastasis ( P =0.030),advanced Duke's stage ( P =0.048),poor differentiation ( P =0.047) and distant metastasis ( P =0.022).TU M2-PK levels identified patients with colorectal cancer with a sensitivity of 80% at 100% specificity ( P 0.01),patients with early colorectal cancer (Dukes' A+B) with a sensitivity of 55.6% at 100% specificity ( P 0.01),while at 100% specificity serum CEA did with a sensitivity of 52.5% for all patients and with a sensitivity of 11.1% for Dukes'A+B patients.Combing CEA and TU M2-PK measurements may increase the sensitivities obtained from TU M2-PK alone.The concentration of postoperative and postchemotherapy plasma TU M2-PK were decreased significantly (both P 0.01).Conclusion:Plasma concentration of TU M2-PK will be a novel marker in colorectal cancer.