Iurisci I, Tinari N, Natoli C, Angelucci D, Cianchetti E, Iacobelli S
Department of Oncology and Neurosciences, University G. D'Annunzio Medical School, Chieti, Italy.
Clin Cancer Res. 2000 Apr;6(4):1389-93.
Galectin-3, a member of the beta-galactoside-binding animal lectins, has been implicated in tumor invasion and metastasis. Using an immunoligand assay, we assessed the circulating levels of galectin-3 in sera from cancer patients as well as from healthy controls. Low serum levels of galectin-3 were detected in healthy individuals (median, 62 ng/ml; range, 20-313 ng/ml; 95th percentile, 184.3 ng/ml). Compared with healthy individuals, galectin-3 serum levels in patients with breast, gastrointestinal, lung, or ovarian cancer, melanoma, and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma were significantly elevated (P = 0.014). Moreover, galectin-3 concentrations in sera from patients with metastatic disease were higher than in sera from patients with localized tumors. Maximum serum concentrations of galectin-3 (median, 320 ng/ml; range, 20-950 ng/ml) were found in patients with metastatic gastrointestinal carcinoma. These results suggest that circulating galectin-3 may play a role in tumor progression. The possibility of using this assay in early-stage cancer to predict metastasis should be studied.
半乳糖凝集素-3是β-半乳糖苷结合动物凝集素家族的一员，与肿瘤侵袭和转移有关。我们采用免疫配体分析法评估了癌症患者以及健康对照者血清中半乳糖凝集素-3的循环水平。健康个体血清半乳糖凝集素-3水平较低（中位数为62 ng/ml；范围为20 - 313 ng/ml；第95百分位数为184.3 ng/ml）。与健康个体相比，乳腺癌、胃肠道癌、肺癌、卵巢癌、黑色素瘤和非霍奇金淋巴瘤患者的血清半乳糖凝集素-3水平显著升高（P = 0.014）。此外，转移性疾病患者血清中的半乳糖凝集素-3浓度高于局限性肿瘤患者血清中的浓度。转移性胃肠道癌患者血清半乳糖凝集素-3的最高浓度（中位数为320 ng/ml；范围为20 - 950 ng/ml）。这些结果表明，循环中的半乳糖凝集素-3可能在肿瘤进展中起作用。应研究将该检测方法用于早期癌症以预测转移的可能性。
