High circulating activin A plasma levels are associated with tumour stage and poor survival in treatment-naive lung squamous cell cancer patients

Objectives: Lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) is associated with a poor prognosis and a lack of specific treatment options. The dysregulation of activin A (ActA) has been reported in various malignancies. Herein, we investigated the diagnostic and prognostic significance of ActA in LUSC. Materials...

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Main Authors: Katharina Sinn, Ahmed Elbeialy, Berta Mosleh, Clemens Aigner, Karin Schelch, Viktoria Laszlo, Balazs Dome, Mir Alireza Hoda, Michael Grusch
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-01-01
Series:Translational Oncology
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1936523324002808
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author Katharina Sinn
Ahmed Elbeialy
Berta Mosleh
Clemens Aigner
Karin Schelch
Viktoria Laszlo
Balazs Dome
Mir Alireza Hoda
Michael Grusch
author_facet Katharina Sinn
Ahmed Elbeialy
Berta Mosleh
Clemens Aigner
Karin Schelch
Viktoria Laszlo
Balazs Dome
Mir Alireza Hoda
Michael Grusch
author_sort Katharina Sinn
collection DOAJ
description Objectives: Lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) is associated with a poor prognosis and a lack of specific treatment options. The dysregulation of activin A (ActA) has been reported in various malignancies. Herein, we investigated the diagnostic and prognostic significance of ActA in LUSC. Materials and methods: ActA concentrations were measured using ELISA in plasma samples of 128 LUSC patients (stage I-IV) and 73 controls, and correlated those values with clinicopathological parameters and survival. Results: ActA plasma levels were significantly higher in therapy-naive LUSC patients compared to controls (444.1 ± 310.9 pg/mL vs 338.9 ± 145.5 pg/mL, p = 0.010). ActA levels significantly correlated with advanced stage as well as with T and N factors. High circulating ActA levels were significantly increased in metastatic disease patients compared to M0 disease. Further, patients with ActA levels above a computationally established optimal cut-off value of 443.0 pg/mL had a significantly worse median overall (OS, 17.63 vs 64.77 months, HR 0.391, 95 % CI 0.200–0.762, p < 0.001) and median disease-/progression-free survival (DFS/PFS; 11.57 vs 30.20 months, HR 0.502, 95 % CI 0.248–1.019, p = 0.020). Multivariate analysis revealed that high ActA levels were an independent prognostic factor for shorter OS (p = 0.001) and DFS/PFS (p = 0.018). A newly developed score combining CRP and ActA levels was also an independent prognostic factor for OS and DFS/PFS. Conclusion: Measurement of circulating ActA levels may help identify advanced-stage LUSC patients, and this value could serve as a prognostic parameter in LUSC. Thus, ActA may be a novel blood-based biomarker for identifying LUSC patients with distant metastasis.
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series Translational Oncology
spelling doaj-art-5a6c99cb1bc046fea8c687bd4b6e092d2024-12-09T04:26:58ZengElsevierTranslational Oncology1936-52332025-01-0151102153High circulating activin A plasma levels are associated with tumour stage and poor survival in treatment-naive lung squamous cell cancer patientsKatharina Sinn0Ahmed Elbeialy1Berta Mosleh2Clemens Aigner3Karin Schelch4Viktoria Laszlo5Balazs Dome6Mir Alireza Hoda7Michael Grusch8Department of Thoracic Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, AustriaDepartment of Thoracic Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, AustriaDepartment of Thoracic Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, AustriaDepartment of Thoracic Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, AustriaDepartment of Thoracic Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria; Center for Cancer Research, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, AustriaDepartment of Thoracic Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, AustriaDepartment of Thoracic Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria; Department of Tumour Biology, National Korányi Institute of Pulmonology, Budapest, Hungary; Department of Thoracic Surgery, National Institute of Oncology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary; Department of Translational Medicine, Lund University, Lund, SwedenDepartment of Thoracic Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, AustriaCenter for Cancer Research, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria; Corresponding author at: Center for Cancer Research, Medical University of Vienna, Borschkegasse 8a, A-1090 Vienna, Austria.Objectives: Lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) is associated with a poor prognosis and a lack of specific treatment options. The dysregulation of activin A (ActA) has been reported in various malignancies. Herein, we investigated the diagnostic and prognostic significance of ActA in LUSC. Materials and methods: ActA concentrations were measured using ELISA in plasma samples of 128 LUSC patients (stage I-IV) and 73 controls, and correlated those values with clinicopathological parameters and survival. Results: ActA plasma levels were significantly higher in therapy-naive LUSC patients compared to controls (444.1 ± 310.9 pg/mL vs 338.9 ± 145.5 pg/mL, p = 0.010). ActA levels significantly correlated with advanced stage as well as with T and N factors. High circulating ActA levels were significantly increased in metastatic disease patients compared to M0 disease. Further, patients with ActA levels above a computationally established optimal cut-off value of 443.0 pg/mL had a significantly worse median overall (OS, 17.63 vs 64.77 months, HR 0.391, 95 % CI 0.200–0.762, p < 0.001) and median disease-/progression-free survival (DFS/PFS; 11.57 vs 30.20 months, HR 0.502, 95 % CI 0.248–1.019, p = 0.020). Multivariate analysis revealed that high ActA levels were an independent prognostic factor for shorter OS (p = 0.001) and DFS/PFS (p = 0.018). A newly developed score combining CRP and ActA levels was also an independent prognostic factor for OS and DFS/PFS. Conclusion: Measurement of circulating ActA levels may help identify advanced-stage LUSC patients, and this value could serve as a prognostic parameter in LUSC. Thus, ActA may be a novel blood-based biomarker for identifying LUSC patients with distant metastasis.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1936523324002808Lung squamous cell carcinomaActivin ABiomarkerPrognostic factor
spellingShingle Katharina Sinn
Ahmed Elbeialy
Berta Mosleh
Clemens Aigner
Karin Schelch
Viktoria Laszlo
Balazs Dome
Mir Alireza Hoda
Michael Grusch
High circulating activin A plasma levels are associated with tumour stage and poor survival in treatment-naive lung squamous cell cancer patients
Translational Oncology
Lung squamous cell carcinoma
Activin A
Biomarker
Prognostic factor
title High circulating activin A plasma levels are associated with tumour stage and poor survival in treatment-naive lung squamous cell cancer patients
title_full High circulating activin A plasma levels are associated with tumour stage and poor survival in treatment-naive lung squamous cell cancer patients
title_fullStr High circulating activin A plasma levels are associated with tumour stage and poor survival in treatment-naive lung squamous cell cancer patients
title_full_unstemmed High circulating activin A plasma levels are associated with tumour stage and poor survival in treatment-naive lung squamous cell cancer patients
title_short High circulating activin A plasma levels are associated with tumour stage and poor survival in treatment-naive lung squamous cell cancer patients
title_sort high circulating activin a plasma levels are associated with tumour stage and poor survival in treatment naive lung squamous cell cancer patients
topic Lung squamous cell carcinoma
Activin A
Biomarker
Prognostic factor
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1936523324002808
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