Affiliations: Universidad de Vigo, Facultad de Biología,
Departamento de Bioquímica, Genética e Inmunología, As
Lagoas-Marcosende s/n, 36310 Vigo, Spain | Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Facultad de
Biología, Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular,
San Francisco s/n, Campus Universitario Norte, 15782 Santiago de Compostela,
Spain | Peugeot Citroën Automóviles España,
S.A. Centro de Vigo, Servicio Médico, Av. Citroën 3 y 5, 36210
Vigo, Spain
Note: [] Corresponding author: María Páez de la Cadena,
Departamento de Bioquímica, Genética e Inmunología,
Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Vigo. As Lagoas-Marcosende s/n.
36310 Vigo, Spain. Tel.: +34 986812572; Fax: +34 986812554; E-mail:
mpaez@uvigo.es
Abstract: Introduction: Previous studies have suggested the use of soluble
CD26 (sCD26) as a tumour marker for the detection of colorectal cancer (CRC)
and advanced adenomas. The aim of this study was to assess the sCD26
concentration in a large cohort to evaluate its association to epidemiologic
parameters and CRC-related symptoms/pathologies. Subjects and methods: Serum samples were collected from 2,754
putatively healthy individuals with ages ranging from 30–65 years, and
with personal or familial history of polyps, CRC and/or CR symptoms. sCD26
levels were measured by ELISA. Results: No association was found between the sCD26 concentration
and age (< 50 and ⩾ 50), the personal or familial history of polyps or
CRC, rectal bleeding, haemorrhoids or diverticula. However, sCD26 was related
to non-inflammatory benign pathologies (excluding rectal bleeding, changes in
bowel habits, haemorrhoids, diverticula) and to inflammatory benign
pathologies. Discussion: Our results confirm that the sCD26 can be easily offered
and evaluated in a large cohort. Additionally, the validation of sCD26 as a
tumour marker for screening and case-finding purposes requires a further
comparison with an established non-invasive test like the faecal occult
blood.
