Serum pancreastatin: the next predictive neuroendocrine tumor marker.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Pancreastatin is a derived peptide of chromogranin A (CgA). Pancreastatin has the potential to be a diagnostic and predictive tumor marker in detecting NETs.

METHODS

Radioimmunoassay tests of pancreastatin and CgA were performed on 103 patient specimens collected at Mount Sinai Medical Center between 1/2010 and 7/2012. Patient demographics, diagnostic tests, surgical procedures, pathologic findings, adjuvant treatments, and survival were retrospectively reviewed. Statistical analysis utilized SPSS v20 software.

RESULTS

Mean pancreastatin levels were significantly higher in the 92 NETs patients than in the 11 non-NETs patients (227.261 vs. 59.727, P < 0.05). Twenty-seven of the 92 patients with elevated pancreastatin levels (mean = 240.67), had normal CgA levels (mean = 4.65). Pancreastatin had sensitivity and specificity of 64% (59/92), and 100% (11/11). CgA had lower sensitivity and specificity of 43% (40/92), and 64% (7/11). In all 27 instances the pancreastatin concentration was found to be sole indicator of NET disease. When controlling for the level of CgA for the entire sample, a statistically significant difference was not found in the mean pancreastatin levels between both patient groups (P = 0.139, R = 0.484).

CONCLUSION

Pancreastatin has greater sensitivity and specificity in diagnosing NETs than CgA. Further investigation of pancreastatin's diagnostic and predictive value is warranted.