Abstract
A multiplex panel for the measurement of serum levels, including osteoprotegerin, osteopontin, osteocalcin, parathormon and leptin, was tested in a group of cancer patients with metastatic disease, and also in healthy controls. Methods: Cancer cases were divided into one group with an occurrence of bone metastases and into one group without bone metastases.
Serum levels of markers of biologic activity were measured using Human Bone Panel for multiplex xMAP technology. Additionaly, routine serum bone markers (PINP, PIIINP, ostase, ICTP and 25-hydroxyvitamin D) were assessed with routine immunoassays in cancer groups.
Results:In comparison to controls, both cancer groups were observed to have higher levels of osteoprotegerin and lower levels of osteocalcin. The bone metastatic group had higher levels of PIIINP and ostase than the non-bonemetastatic group. 3 of 4 patients with multiple bone metastases had values above the set normal value for both osteoprotegerin and osteopontin in comparison to all other cancer patients.
Conclusions: Multiplex bone metastasis detection by serum test in future could help with creating of multiparametric scoring system with sufficient sensitivity and specificity for clinical practise. Multiplex is a powerful tool for multiparametric studies, but we are still in the era of looking for the right marker combinations for cancer diagnostics and monitoring.
The panel will be tested on a larger cancer cohort and in patients with non-cancerous diseases.