Are IgG antibodies to heat shock proteins HSP27 and HSP60 useful markers in endometrial cancer and cervical cancer?

OBJECTIVES

Heat shock proteins are overexpressed in many human malignancies. The role of heat shock proteins as a therapeutic target in cancer as well as their association with drug resistance were widely documented. The aim of this study was to evaluate the concentration of IgG class HSP27 and HSP60 antibodies in serum of patients with endometrial and cervical cancer, as well as to analyse the variability of concentrations of the examined antibodies depending on the cancer stage.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The study included 59 women with adenocarcinoma of the endometrium and 36 women with cervical cancer, the control group consisted of 54 healthy women. The concentrations of IgG class antibodies against the tested heat shock proteins were determined by an immunoenzymatic assay (ELISA) using commercial assays.

RESULTS

In both endometrial and cervical cancer, the serum concentration of IgG anti-HSP27 antibody was significantly higher than in the healthy control group. The concentration of IgG anti-HSP60 antibody in endometrial cancer, cervical cancer and healthy control was similar. The median IgG anti-HSP27 antibody serum concentration of endometrial cancer patients was not correlated with FIGO-stage. In cervical cancer inverse correlation between concentration of this antibody and FIGO stage was observed. The median IgG anti-HSP60 antibody concentration in serum of endometrial cancer patients was lower in FIGO stage I and II compared to FIGO stage IV and in FIGO stage IA compared to FIGO stage IB. Concentrations of examined antibodies correlated positively with each other, both in the group of women with cancer and in the group of healthy women. The strongest correlations were found in the group of patients with endometrial cancer.

CONCLUSIONS

Concentration of anti-HSP27 antibody could help in detection of cervical and endometrial cancer. We need to look for the cut-off point in large cohort studies. Anti-HSP27 and anti-HSP60 antibodies should be further evaluated for their potential usage as biomarkers in cervical and endometrial cancer as they shown some correlation with stage of disease.