Predictive value of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) in the diagnosis of gastric cancer

Abstract

Purpose: Gastric cancer is associated with poor prognosis. The high mortality rate of gastric cancer is mainly attributed to late detection, so diagnosis and treatment are crucial to decreasing mortality. The purpose of this study was to examine the predictive accuracy and discriminative ability of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) in gastric cancer patients, in addition to the classical cancer tumor biomarkers carbohydrate antigen 199 (CA199) and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA). Methods: The study was performed on 78 serum samples from gastric cancer patients and 88 serum samples from healthy adults. Serum levels of CFTR, CA199, CEA and CHN were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) Results: Spearman’s coefficient analysis showed that, in some cases, CFTR was strongly correlated with CA199 and that CFTR levels increased with age. Kruskal-Wallis testing indicated concentrations of CFTR and CA199 had statistically significant association with stage. Logistic regression showed that CFTR and CA199 independently predicted gastric cancer. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) showed that combinations of CFTR, CA199, and CEA yielded the best ROC curve, with an AUC of 0.875. Conclusions: The results of this study indicate that the serum CFTR has a broad application prospects for detection of GC.