硫氧还蛋白还原酶：一种新型有效的胃癌化疗疗效监测标志物

胃癌是国际上发病率较高的肿瘤,寻找新型有效的肿瘤标志物用于胃癌的诊断和疗效评估,对于胃癌的临床治疗有较大的帮助。本研究选取经临床确诊的155例胃癌患者为研究对象,探究血浆硫氧还蛋白还原酶（thioredoxin reductase, TR）在胃癌化疗后临床获益人群与未获益人群中检测水平的差异,以及其与治疗效果的关系。结果显示,未获益组TR阳性率为82.67%,显著高于获益组TR阳性率（48.94%）。受试者操作特征曲线（receiver operating characteristic curve,ROC）分析显示,未获益组人群与获益组人群的TR活性诊断阈值为8.95 U/mL,ROC曲线下面积（area under the curve,AUC）为0.8423,明显优于常规胃癌标志物癌胚抗原（carcinoembryonic antigen,CEA）,肿瘤特异性抗原（cancer antigen,CA）19-9和CA72-4。同时,TR与常规胃癌标志物的联合检测提高阳性检出率至98.49%。TR被认为是一种新型的胃癌临床化疗疗效监测标志物,与临床疗效评价具有较高的一致性。     

阿帕替尼对二线化疗失败晚期胃癌患者肿瘤标志物与胃黏膜四项水平及预后的影响

摘要 目的：探讨阿帕替尼对二线化疗失败晚期胃癌患者肿瘤标志物与胃黏膜四项水平及预后的影响。方法：选取2016年12月～2020年3月医院收治的80例二线化疗失败晚期胃癌患者,随机分为研究组和对照组各40例。对照组给予常规支持对症治疗,研究组在对照组基础上给予阿帕替尼治疗。比较两组临床疗效、肿瘤标志物[癌胚抗原（CEA）、癌抗原125（CA125）、糖蛋白抗原199（CA199）]、胃黏膜四项[胃蛋白酶原Ⅰ（PG Ⅰ）,胃蛋白酶原Ⅱ（PG Ⅱ）,胃泌素17（G-17）、幽门螺旋抗体（Hp-Ab）]、不良反应及预后情况。结果：研究组总缓解率、疾病控制率均高于对照组,差异有统计学意义（P＜0.05）。与治疗前比较,治疗后研究组血清CEA、CA125、CA199水平均降低,且研究组低于对照组（P＜0.05）。与治疗前比较,治疗后研究组PG Ⅰ水平较治疗前升高,且研究组高于对照组（P＜0.05）;治疗后,研究组PG Ⅱ、G-17水平、Hp-Ab阳性率均较治疗后降低,且研究组低于对照组（P＜0.05）。两组总不良反应发生率无差异（P＞0.05）。研究组无进展生存时间（PFS）、生存时间（OS）均长于对照组、生存率高于对照组,差异有统计学意义（P＜0.05）。结论：阿帕替尼对二线化疗失败晚期胃癌患者的疾病控制率较好,可有效降低血清肿瘤标志物水平,改善胃粘膜功能,延长患者生存期。     

CRP联合CA72-4, CEA, CA19-9检测对胃癌早期诊断的临床价值

目的:探究C反应蛋白(CRP)联合胃癌抗原(CA72-4)、癌胚抗原(CEA)、糖类抗原(CA19-9)检测对胃癌早期诊断的临床价值。方法:选择2014年3月~2016年6月我院收治的胃癌患者(103例)为胃癌组,包括早期胃癌患者30例,中晚期患者73例;同期就诊于我院的良性胃病患者为良性胃病组(61例),另选择20例年龄、性别相匹配的健康体检人群为健康对照组。比较三组人群血清C反应蛋白(CRP)、CA72-4、CEA、CA19-9水平,并探讨其表达与胃癌患者临床病理特征之间的关系。结果:早期胃癌组、良性胃病组患者的血清CRP、肿瘤标志物CA72-4、CEA、CA19-9的表达水平及阳性检测率均显著高于健康对照组(P0.05);早期胃癌组的上述指标显著高于良性胃病组(P0.05)。肿瘤分化程度低、发生转移、临床分期为Ⅲ,Ⅳ期胃癌患者的血清CRP、CA72-4、CEA、CA19-9阳性检测率显著高于肿瘤高分化、未发生转移、临床分期为Ⅰ、Ⅱ期的胃癌患者(p0.05)。血清CRP、CA72-4、CEA、CA19-9联合检测胃癌的敏感度92.23%,特异度为90.85%,联合检测敏感度显著高于CRP(68.93%)、CA72-4(71.84%)、CEA(77.67%)、CA19-9(59.22%)单项检测(p0.05)。结论:血清CRP、CA72-4、CEA、CA19-9水平与胃癌的临床病理特征密切相关,联合检测能显著提高检测灵敏度,有利于胃癌早期诊断。     

HIF-1α、CEA和CA724水平检测诊断早期胃癌

为了探讨HIF-1α、CEA和CA724水平检测在诊断早期胃癌中的效果,本研究分别采用免疫组化法检测胃癌组、良性疾病组和正常组受检者的HIF-1α表达,采用化学发光微粒子免疫法检测受试者血清CEA和CA724水平,并分析单一肿瘤标志物检测及联合检测的灵敏性、特异性和准确性。研究结果表明:胃癌组HIF-1α、CEA和CA724的阳性率依次为81.50%、66.50%和63.00%,均显著高于良性疾病组和正常组(p0.05)。良性疾病组和正常组的HIF-1α、CEA和CA724的阳性率无统计学显著性(p0.05)。HIF-1α、CEA和CA724这3个检测指标联合诊断胃癌的灵敏性(85.30%)、特异性(90.10%)和准确性(87.70%)均显著高于单独诊断(p0.05)。在胃癌早期诊断中,采用单一肿瘤标志物容易造成误诊和漏诊,而采用多项肿瘤标志物联合检测胃癌可有效提高诊断的灵敏性、特异性和准确性。     

CA19-9、CA125、CEA及Ferritin联合检测诊断非小细胞肺癌脑、骨转移的临床价值研究

目的:研究CA19-9、CA125、癌胚抗原(CEA)以及铁蛋白(Ferritin)四种肿瘤标志物联合检测用于诊断非小细胞肺癌(NSCLC)脑或(和)骨转移的临床价值。方法:选取2011年5月至2012年5月于我院就诊的NSCLC患者184例。将发现脑或(和)骨转移者归为转移组,共96例;将未发现脑、骨转移者归为无转移组,共88例,采用电化学发光免疫分析法测定各组患者血清中CA19-9、CA125、CEA以及Ferritin的水平,探讨其在NSCLC患者脑或(和)骨转移中的诊断效能。结果:在发生脑或(和)骨转移的NSCLC患者中,CA19-9、CA125、CEA及Ferritin四种肿瘤标志物的水平和阳性率均显著高于未发生骨、脑转移的患者。ROC曲线分析显示,以上四种肿瘤标志物对诊断NSCLC骨或(和)脑转移的敏感度分别为73.48%、69.13%、66.35%和61.34%;特异度分别为80.02%、32.51%、65.11%和62.58%;将四种肿瘤标志物联合进行诊断的敏感度和特异度分别为91.21%和88.64%,显著高于单一标志物诊断。结论:发生脑或(和)骨转移的NSCLC患者血清中CA19-9、CA125、CEA以及Ferritin四种肿瘤标志物水平均显著升高,以上标志物联合检测可提高NSCLC患者脑或(和)骨转移的诊断效能,可作为早期诊断NSCLC患者脑或(和)骨转移的辅助检测指标。     

血清ANXA2、ANXA3与转移性结直肠癌患者化疗疗效的关系

摘要 目的：探讨血清膜联蛋白（ANX）A2、ANXA3与转移性结直肠癌（mCRC）患者化疗疗效的关系。方法：选取2019年1月～2020年10月徐州医科大学附属医院收治的90例mCRC患者,根据mFOLFOX6化疗联合西妥昔单抗治疗后的疗效分为未缓解组和缓解组。采用酶联免疫吸附法检测血清ANXA2、ANXA3水平。分别采用单因素、多因素Logistic回归分析和受试者工作特征（ROC）曲线分析mCRC患者化疗未缓解的影响因素和血清ANXA2、ANXA3对mCRC患者化疗未缓解的预测价值。结果：90例mCRC患者客观缓解率为58.89%（53/90）。单因素分析显示,两组年龄、回盲部肿瘤、TNM分期、Zubrod-东部肿瘤协助组-世界卫生组织（ZPS）评分、治疗目标、ANXA2、ANXA3组间比较存在统计学差异（P＜0.05）。多因素Logistic回归分析显示,回盲部肿瘤、TNM分期Ⅳ期、ZPS评分1～2分和ANXA2、ANXA3升高为mCRC患者化疗未缓解的独立危险因素（P＜0.05）。ROC曲线分析显示,血清ANXA2预测mCRC患者化疗未缓解的曲线下面积（AUC）为0.787,ANXA3预测mCRC患者化疗未缓解的AUC为0.791,血清ANXA2、ANXA3联合预测为0.904,二者联合预测的AUC最大（P＜0.05）。结论：血清ANXA2、ANXA3水平升高为mCRC患者化疗未缓解的独立危险因素,可影响mCRC患者的化疗疗效,二者联合预测mCRC患者化疗未缓解的价值较高。     

胃癌根治术后腹腔热灌注化疗对患者血清CEA、CA19-9水平及免疫功能的影响

目的:探讨胃癌根治术后腹腔灌注化疗对患者血清CEA(血清癌胚抗原,carcinoembryonic antigen)、CA19-9(糖链抗原19-9,carbohydrate antigen19-9)水平及免疫功能的影响。方法:回顾性2015年2月至2017年4月我院收治的胃癌患者临床资料,依据接受治疗方案不同分为全身静脉化疗组(对照组)和全身静脉化疗联合腹腔热灌注化疗组(观察组),每组各41例。检测和比较两组患者化疗前(治疗前)与化疗1个月后(治疗后)血清肿瘤标志物CEA、CA19-9与免疫功能指标水平的变化,治疗后毒副作用发生情况及治疗前后生活质量的改善情况。结果:治疗前,两组间血清CEA、CA19-9、CD3~+、CD4~+、CD8~+、CD4+/CD8~+水平比较差异均无统计学意义(P0.05);观察组治疗后血清CEA、CA19-9及CD8~+水平显著低于对照组,CD3~+、CD4~+、CD4~+/CD8~+水平显著高于对照组,差异有统计学意义(P0.05);两组骨髓抑制、恶心呕吐、腹痛腹泻及肠梗发生率比较差异均不显著无统计学意义(P=0.478,0.668,0.315,0.552);观察组生活质量改善总有效率为85.37%,显著高于对照组(70.73%,P=0.017)。结论:与单纯全身化疗相比,胃癌根治术后腹腔灌注化疗可更有效降低患者血清CEA、CA19-9水平,改善患者免疫功能,提高其生活质量,且安全性较高。     

CA125、CA199、CEA 联合检测在妇科肿瘤临床诊断中的应用价值

目的：探讨CA125、CA199、CEA联合检测在妇科肿瘤临床诊断中的应用价值。方法：选择妇科恶性肿瘤组65例、妇科良性肿瘤组55例、健康对照组70例,采用自动荧光磁微粒酶免分析法检测血清中CA199、CA125的含量,采用光激化学发光法检测血清中CEA的含量。结果：妇科恶性肿瘤组血清中CA125、CA199、CEA的水平明显高于妇科良性肿瘤组及对照组,差异有统计学意义（P〈0．01）;妇科良性肿瘤组血清中CA125、CA199、CEA的水平高于对照组,差异有统计学意义（P〈0．01）;CA125、CA199、CEA联合检测对早期妇科肿瘤诊断的阳性率较单独检测高,差异有统计学意义（P〈O．05）;良性组、恶性组联合检测ROC曲线下面积大于单项检测曲线下面积。结论：联合检测可提高对妇科肿瘤早期诊断的阳性率,对妇科良恶性的诊断及鉴别诊断有重要价值。     

腹腔热灌注化疗联合全身系统化疗对晚期胃癌腹膜转移患者细胞免疫功能、肿瘤标志物和肿瘤侵袭转移相关指标的影响

摘要 目的：探讨腹腔热灌注化疗（HIPEC）联合全身系统化疗（NIPS）对晚期胃癌腹膜转移患者细胞免疫功能、肿瘤标志物和肿瘤侵袭转移相关指标的影响。方法：选取2019年6月至2022年1月在新疆医科大学第一附属医院胃肠外科住院治疗的116例晚期胃癌腹膜转移患者,按照随机数字表法分为观察组和对照组,各58例。对照组患者接受NIPS,观察组患者接受HIPEC联合NIPS。观察两组疗效、生存率和不良反应情况,对比两组细胞免疫功能、肿瘤标志物和肿瘤侵袭转移相关指标变化情况。结果：观察组的临床总有效率（68.97%）高于对照组（50.00%）（P<0.05）。两组治疗后CD3⁺、CD4⁺、CD4⁺/CD8⁺下降,但观察组高于对照组（P<0.05）。CD8+升高,但观察组低于对照组（P<0.05）。两组治疗后癌胚抗原（CEA）、糖类抗原19-9（CA199）、糖类抗原125（CA125）下降,但观察组低于对照组（P<0.05）。两组治疗后内皮生长因子（VEGF）、基质金属蛋白酶-2（MMP-2）和基质金属蛋白酶-9（MMP-9）下降,但观察组低于对照组（P<0.05）。观察组的6个月、9个月、12个月生存率均高于对照组（P<0.05）。两组不良反应发生率对比无差异（P>0.05）。结论：HIPEC联合NIPS用于治疗晚期胃癌腹膜转移患者,可改善患者细胞免疫功能,调节肿瘤标志物和肿瘤侵袭转移相关指标水平,提高生存率。     

血清多肿瘤标志物蛋白芯片检测在乳腺癌诊断中的价值

目的:探讨血清多肿瘤标志物蛋白芯片检测系统在乳腺癌诊断中的临床价值。方法:临床确诊的乳腺癌患者307例为乳腺癌组,非乳腺癌的其他恶性肿瘤患者495例为对照组。应用多肿瘤标志物蛋白芯片检测系统检测12种肿瘤标志物水平,评价血清肿瘤标志物的在乳腺癌组与对照组之间的差异。结果:CA153,CEA,Free-PSA这三项指标为诊断乳腺癌的独立相关因素(P<0.05),比较三项指标ROC曲线下面积可见,CA153对于鉴别乳腺癌准确性更高,其敏感性、特异性分别为78.92和56.14,女性乳腺癌患者Free-PSA可见明显升高,对乳腺癌有特殊提示意义,手术前后标志物CA199、CA242、Ferrin、CA125水平差异有统计学意义。结论:在临床常用的肿瘤标记物中,CA153,CEA,Free_PSA水平的升高与乳腺癌发生独立相关,其中CA153具有更高的诊断准确性,Free_PSA水平升高对乳腺癌的诊断有特别提示意义。     

Thioredoxin Reductase: a New and Effective Biomarker for Monitoring the Efficacy of Chemotherapy in Gastric Cancer北大核心CSCD

Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the leading malignancies around the world. Identification of novel and efficient biomarkers for evaluation of therapeutic efficiency in GC could improve the therapeutic strategy in future clinical application. In the current study, a total of 155 GC patients were enrolled to evaluate the levels of plasma thioredoxin reductase (TR) activity to confirm its validity and efficacy in the evaluation of GC therapeutic efficiency. In GC patients after chemotherapy, plasma TR activity was remarkably higher in patients with progressive disease or uncontrolled condition (sensitivity 82. 67%) as compared with patients with complete or partial response (sensitivity 48. 94%) after chemotherapy (P < 0. 001). TR activity displayed the higher efficiency to distinguish between GC patients with two distinct clinical outcomes than carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), cancer antigen 72-4 (CA72-4) and cancer antigen 19-9 (CA19-9), with a cut-off value of 8. 95 U / mL and AUC of 0. 8423 based on receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Moreover, combination of TR with other tumor markers (sensitivity 98. 49%) was demonstrated to be more effective in the evaluation of GC therapeutic efficiency than individual biomarker. Together, plasma TR activity was identified as a novel and efficient biomarker for the evaluation of therapeutic efficiency in GC. © 2019 The Author(s).     

Roles of CA19-9 in pancreatic cancer: Biomarker,predictor and promoter

Carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) is the best validated biomarker and an indicator of aberrant glycosylation in pancreatic cancer. CA19-9 functions as a biomarker, predictor, and promoter in pancreatic cancer. As a biomarker, the sensitivity is approximately 80%, and the major challenges involve false positives in conditions of inflammation and nonpancreatic cancers and false negatives in Lewis-negative Individuals. Lewis antigen status should be determined when using CA19-9 as a biomarker. CA19-9 has screening potential when combined with symptoms and/or risk factors. As a predictor, CA19-9 could be used to assess stage, prognosis, resectability, recurrence, and therapeutic efficacy. Normal baseline levels of CA19-9 are associated with long-term survival. As a promoter, CA19-9 could be used to evaluate the biology of pancreatic cancer. CA19-9 can accelerate pancreatic cancer progression by glycosylating proteins, binding to E-selectin, strengthening angiogenesis, and mediating the immunological response. CA19-9 is an attractive therapeutic target for cancer, and strategies include therapeutic antibodies and vaccines, CA19-9-guided nanoparticles, and inhibition of CA19-9 biosynthesis.     

Enhanced discrimination of malignant from benign pancreatic disease by measuring the CA 19-9 antigen on specific protein carriers

The CA 19-9 assay detects a carbohydrate antigen on multiple protein carriers, some of which may be preferential carriers of the antigen in cancer. We tested the hypothesis that the measurement of the CA 19-9 antigen on individual proteins could improve performance over the standard CA 19-9 assay. We used antibody arrays to measure the levels of the CA 19-9 antigen on multiple proteins in serum or plasma samples from patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma or pancreatitis. Sample sets from three different institutions were examined, comprising 531 individual samples. The measurement of the CA 19-9 antigen on any individual protein did not improve upon the performance of the standard CA 19-9 assay (82% sensitivity at 75% specificity for early-stage cancer), owing to diversity among patients in their CA 19-9 protein carriers. However, a subset of cancer patients with no elevation in the standard CA 19-9 assay showed elevations of the CA 19-9 antigen specifically on the proteins MUC5AC or MUC16 in all sample sets. By combining measurements of the standard CA 19-9 assay with detection of CA 19-9 on MUC5AC and MUC16, the sensitivity of cancer detection was improved relative to CA 19-9 alone in each sample set, achieving 67-80% sensitivity at 98% specificity. This finding demonstrates the value of measuring glycans on specific proteins for improving biomarker performance. Diagnostic tests with improved sensitivity for detecting pancreatic cancer could have important applications for improving the treatment and management of patients suffering from this disease.     

CEA、CA19-9与CA72-4用于诊断老年胃癌的临床价值研究

目的:探讨CEA、CA19-9以及CA72-4诊断老年胃癌的临床价值。方法:对192例经活检确诊为老年胃癌患者的血清CEA、CA19-9以及CA72-4水平进行分析,比较不同TNM分期老年胃癌患者的血清CEA、CA19-9以及CA72-4阳性率,并评价血清CEA、CA19-9以及CA72-4水平诊断老年胃癌的敏感性和特异性。结果:TNM 3期及4期的胃癌患者CEA以及CA19-9阳性率明显高于1期及2期胃癌患者,而TNM1-4期的胃癌患者CA72-4的阳性率都明显高于CEA以及CA19-9。以6.5 ng/m L、30U/m L以及4 ng/m L分别作为CEA、CA19-9以及CA72-4的上限临界值,其诊断老年患者的胃癌的敏感性分别为15.6%、19.3%以及29.2%,特异性分别为98.9%、97.2%以及98.0%,曲线下面积分别为0.59、0.62以及0.66。结论:CEA、CA19-9以及CA72-4对于诊断老年胃癌都有较好的特异性,但敏感性一般,尤其对于早期胃癌,CEA及CA19-9敏感性较差,CA72-4敏感性要优于二者。     

Clinical significance of serum levels of matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2) and its tissue inhibitor (TIMP-2) in gastric cancer

Matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2) is able to degrade type IV collagen, and thus plays a key role in the migration of tumor cells. MMP-2 activity is inhibited by its tissue inhibitor (TIMP-2). The imbalance between MMPs and TIMPs may facilitate progression of cancer cells. The aim of this study was to compare the clinical importance of MMP-2 and TIMP-2 to that of classical tumor markers, namely carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and carbohydrate antigen (CA 19-9) in the diagnosis of gastric cancer (GC) by calculating the diagnostic criteria and estimating the levels of MMP-2, TIMP-2, CEA and CA 19-9 in GC patients in relation to clinicopathological features of cancer. We found that serum levels of MMP-2 and TIMP-2 were significantly lower, whereas serum tumor markers were higher, in GC patients than in healthy subjects. Moreover, concentrations of TIMP-2 and CEA correlated with gastric wall infiltration, while CA 19-9 levels correlated with gastric wall infiltration and the presence of nodal metastasis. None of the proteins tested was found to be an independent prognostic factor for GC patients' survival. The percentage of true positive results of TIMP-2 (61%) was higher than those of MMP-2 (54%) and the classical tumor markers CEA (21%) and CA 19-9 (31%). The highest diagnostic sensitivity was observed for the combined use of TIMP-2 with MMP-2 (77%). The results suggest the greater importance of serum MMP-2 and TIMP-2 than of the classical tumor markers CEA and CA 19-9 in the diagnosis of GC. But this issue requires further investigation.     

Circulating Methylated Septin 9 Nucleic Acid in the Plasma of Patients with Gastrointestinal Cancer in the Stomach and Colon

BACKGROUND: Methylated Septin 9 (mSEPT9) in plasma has recently been suggested as a screening marker for colorectal cancer (CRC) with variable sensitivity. We aimed to determine the usefulness of plasma mSEPT9 for screening CRC and gastric cancer (GC) and its diagnostic role in postoperative CRC patients. METHODS: A total of 350 peripheral blood samples from 101 CRC patients, 153 GC patients, and 96 healthy persons were collected. In addition, we obtained 35 follow-up blood samples from 27 CRC patients after curative radical surgery. Plasma mSEPT9, serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), and serum CA19-9 were evaluated with clinicopathologic features. RESULTS: The sensitivity of plasma mSEPT9 was 36.6% for detecting CRC and 17.7% for detecting GC, and the specificity was 90.6%. During follow-up periods, mSEPT9 showed negative conversion in eight of nine CRC patients (88.9%) whose plasma mSEPT9 had been positive before radical surgery. The patients with plasma mSEPT9 had a tendency of presence of distant metastasis and lower disease-free survival in both CRC and GC. In GC patients, plasma mSEPT9 was more frequently observed in intestinal (23.5%) and mixed type (40.0%) than diffuse type (7.3%; P =.009). Combined analysis of mSEPT9, CEA, and CA19-9 increased the sensitivity for diagnosing GC to 32.7% (P = .002). CONCLUSION: Considering the high incidence of plasma mSEPT9 in intestinal or mixed type GCs similar to CRCs, GC should be examined through the plasma mSEPT9 screening test. In addition, plasma mSEPT9 is proposed as a follow-up marker in CRC patients, but further validation is required.     

Diverse monoclonal antibodies against the CA 19-9 antigen show variation in binding specificity with consequences for clinical interpretation

The CA 19-9 antigen is currently the best individual marker for the detection of pancreatic cancer. In order to optimize the CA 19-9 assay and to develop approaches to further improve cancer detection, it is important to understand the specificity differences between CA 19-9 antibodies and the consequential affect on biomarker performance. Antibody arrays enabled multiplexed comparisons between five different CA 19-9 antibodies used in the analysis of plasma samples from pancreatic cancer patients and controls. Major differences were observed between antibodies in their detection of particular patient samples. Glycan array analysis revealed that certain antibodies were highly specific for the canonical CA 19-9 epitope, sialyl-Lewis A, while others bound sialyl-Lewis A in addition to a related structure called sialyl-Lewis C and modification with Nue5Gc. In a much larger patient cohort, we confirmed the binding of sialyl-Lewis C glycan by one of the antibodies and showed that the broader specificity led to the detection of an increased number of cancer patients without increasing detection of pancreatitis patient samples. This work demonstrates that variation between antibody specificity for cancer-associated glycans can have significant implications for biomarker performance and highlights the value of characterizing and detecting the range of glycan structures that are elevated in cancer.     

Granulocyte-macrophage-colony stimulating factor in patients with colorectal cancer

Granulocyte-macrophage-colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) belongs to the group of glycoproteins called colony-stimulating factors (CSFs). It has been shown that the activity of CSFs is not limited to the hematopoietic cells but can also affect the proliferation of colon carcinoma cell lines. The purpose of this investigation was to compare the serum level of GM-CSF in colorectal cancer patients to a control group, to assess the level of GM-CSF in relation to the level of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA 19-9), and to define the sensitivity, the specificity and the predictive values of GM-CSF in colorectal cancer. In this study, the serum level of tumour markers was measured in 30 patients with colorectal cancer and in 20 healthy subjects. GM-CSF was assayed using ELISA system, CEA and CA 19-9 were measured by MEIA. The serum levels of CEA, CA 19-9 and GM-CSF were higher in the patients with colorectal cancer than in the control group. The sensitivities of CEA (63%) and CA 19-9 (56%) were lower than the GM-CSF sensitivity (80%). The specificities of tumour markers were 70% (CEA, GM-CSF) and 75% for CA 19-9. The GM-CSF predictive v values were higher than the CEA and CA 19-9 values. These results suggest that GM-CSF may be useful as tumour marker in colorectal cancer, but further studies are needed.