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The combination of serum trefoil factor 3 and pepsinogen testing is a valid non-endoscopic biomarker for predicting the presence of gastric cancer: a new marker for gastric cancer risk

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Abstract

Background

A valid biomarker for predicting the presence of gastric cancer may contribute to reducing deaths from this disease. Although pepsinogen (PG) testing has been introduced as a predictor, its predictive power is not satisfactory. We examined whether serum trefoil factor (TFF) could be a non-endoscopic predictor of the presence of gastric cancer.

Methods

Gastric cancer patients who underwent preoperative endoscopy were sequentially recruited. Individuals who underwent a thorough medical checkup were enrolled as non-cancer controls. Serum levels of TFF1, TFF2, TFF3, Helicobacter pylori antibody, PG I, and PG II were examined.

Results

We studied 192 gastric cancer patients aged 64.3 ± 9.7 years and 1254 non-cancer controls aged 52.3 ± 12.4 years. In the age/gender-matched analysis (187 cases and 561 controls), significant relationships were demonstrated between gastric cancer presence and TFF3 (P < 0.0001), the PGI/II ratio (P < 0.0001), H. pylori antibody (P = 0.001), TFF1 (P = 0.012), and TFF2 (P = 0.020). The area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve for predicting gastric cancer presence was comparably high for all factors (0.893) and for the combination of TFF3 and the PG test (0.883), but was significantly (P < 0.0001) lower for the PG test alone (0.823). A positive PG test showed a sensitivity of 67% and specificity of 82%, whereas a combination of TFF3 and PG testing showed a sensitivity of 80% and specificity of 80% in predicting the presence of gastric cancer.

Conclusion

The combination of serum TFF3 and PG testing might be a valid non-endoscopic biomarker for predicting the presence of gastric cancer.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Ms. Keiko Hayakawa for her helpful assistance.

Conflict of interest

None.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Gastroenterology, Toranomon Hospital, 2-2-2 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 105-8470, Japan

    Mitsuru Kaise

  2. Department of Gastroenterology, Toshiba General Hospital, Tokyo, Japan

    Jun Miwa & Jun Tashiro

  3. Institute of Biomedical Innovation, Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd, Tokushima, Japan

    Yasukazu Ohmoto

  4. Health Medical Center, Nomura Hospital, Tokyo, Japan

    Shingo Morimoto

  5. Department of Endoscopy, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan

    Masayuki Kato

  6. Department of Clinical Research and Development, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan

    Mitsuyoshi Urashima

  7. Department of Pathology, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan

    Masahiro Ikegami

  8. Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan

    Hisao Tajiri

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  1. Mitsuru Kaise
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  2. Jun Miwa
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  3. Jun Tashiro
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  4. Yasukazu Ohmoto
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  5. Shingo Morimoto
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  6. Masayuki Kato
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  7. Mitsuyoshi Urashima
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  9. Hisao Tajiri
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Correspondence to Mitsuru Kaise.

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Kaise, M., Miwa, J., Tashiro, J. et al. The combination of serum trefoil factor 3 and pepsinogen testing is a valid non-endoscopic biomarker for predicting the presence of gastric cancer: a new marker for gastric cancer risk. J Gastroenterol 46, 736–745 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00535-011-0396-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00535-011-0396-8

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