Increased Sialylation of Anti-Thomsen-Friedenreich Antigen (CD176) Antibodies in Patients with Gastric Cancer: A Diagnostic and Prognostic Potential
Aim. To study whether alterations in the sialylation of antibodies (Ab) specific to the Thomsen-Friedenreich (TF) glycotope have a diagnostic and prognostic potential in gastric cancer.Methods. Serum samples were taken from patients with gastric carcinoma(n=142)and controls(n=61). The level of TF-specific antibodies and their sialylation was detected using ELISA with synthetic TF-polyacrylamide conjugate as antigen and sialic acid-specificSambucus nigra agglutinin(SNA).Results. The level of TF-specific IgM was significantly decreased in cancer compared with controls(P≤0.001). Cancer patients showed a higher level of SNA binding to anti-TF IgM and IgA(P≤0.001)irrespective of disease stage, tumor morphology, and gender. Changes in the SNA/Ab index demonstrated moderate sensitivity (66–71%) and specificity (60–73%) for stomach cancer. The best diagnostic accuracy (100%) was achieved in 29% patients with high SNA binding and low anti-TF IgM level. This subset of patients demonstrated the poorest survival.Conclusion. Our findings are the first evidence that the increased sialylation of TF-specific Abs combined with a low level of anti-TF IgM is strongly linked to gastric cancer and patients survival, which can be used as a novel biomarker for cancer detection and prognosis.