Biomarkers for early detection of mesothelioma in asbestos-exposed subjects

Our plain-English summary of Biomarkers for early detection of mesothelioma in asbestos-exposed subjects, by E.K. Park, P.S. Thomas, D.H. Yates (Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, 2010).

The study

• Authors: E.K. Park, P.S. Thomas, D.H. Yates
• Journal: Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine
• Published: 2010;48(11):1673-4
• Type of article: Letter
• Cited by: 3 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

In plain English

This was a letter to the editor reporting results from the authors' prospective cohort study of 525 men exposed to asbestos and considered at high risk of malignant mesothelioma. The study was approved by an ethics committee in Sydney, Australia. The authors measured two blood markers, soluble mesothelin related protein (SMRP) and osteopontin (OPN). Citing their earlier reports on this cohort, they stated that mean SMRP was higher in subjects with pleural plaques than in apparently healthy asbestos-exposed subjects. Mean OPN was higher in subjects with asbestosis and in those with diffuse pleural thickening than in healthy individuals. Subjects with asbestos-related diseases had higher SMRP (p=0.0004) and OPN (p less than 0.0001) than those without disease, and the two markers were positively correlated (Pearson r=0.3505, 95% CI 0.27–0.42). The letter reported no results for mesothelioma patients from this cohort. The authors concluded that both markers show promise for early detection of asbestos-related diseases and mesothelioma. They cautioned that both lack specificity, that the results were preliminary, and that future studies should ideally also include unexposed subjects.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: Letter to the editor reporting results from the authors' prospective cohort study, partly drawn from their earlier publications on the same cohort
• Who was studied: 525 asbestos-exposed men at high risk of malignant mesothelioma; the study was approved by an ethics committee in Sydney, Australia; dates not given
• Exposure: Asbestos exposure (fiber type, jobs and doses not stated). The markers measured were serum soluble mesothelin related protein (SMRP) and osteopontin (OPN).
• Main results:
  • Mean SMRP concentrations were significantly higher (p less than 0.01) in subjects with pleural plaques than in apparently healthy subjects with a history of asbestos exposure. This result comes from the authors' earlier report on this cohort.
  • Mean OPN concentrations were significantly higher than in healthy individuals in subjects with asbestosis (p less than 0.001) and in subjects with diffuse pleural thickening (p less than 0.001). This result comes from the authors' earlier report on this cohort.
  • Subjects with asbestos-related diseases had higher SMRP (p=0.0004) and higher OPN (p less than 0.0001) than subjects without disease.
  • Serum SMRP and OPN were positively correlated: Pearson r=0.3505 (95% CI 0.27–0.42), r squared=0.1228, p less than 0.0001.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that SMRP and OPN show promise as biomarkers for early detection of asbestos-related diseases as well as malignant mesothelioma, and that these preliminary results need confirmation in future studies.
• Limitations the authors state:
  • Both biomarkers lack specificity and are also raised in other conditions.
  • The results are preliminary and need confirmation in future studies, which ideally should also include people not exposed to asbestos.

Topics

The National Library of Medicine indexes this study under subjects our site covers: Mesothelioma.

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Biomarker, Mesothelioma.

Related studies

• Mesothelioma Biomarkers: A Review Highlighting Contributions from the Early Detection Research Network — H.I. Pass, M. Alimi, et al. (2020)
• Are circulating microRNAs suitable for the early detection of malignant mesothelioma? Results from a nested case-control study — D.G. Weber, A. Brik, et al. (2019)
• Circulating epigenetic biomarkers in lung malignancies: From early diagnosis to therapy — M. Tomasetti, M. Amati, et al. (2017)
• Methylation profile landscape in mesothelioma: possible implications in early detection, disease progression, and therapeutic options — X. Zhang, N. Tang, et al. (2015)
• Evaluation of ovarian cancer biomarkers in subjects with benign asbestos-related pleural diseases — E.K. Park, A.R. Johnson, et al. (2011)
• Evaluation of New Biomarkers in the Prediction of Malignant Mesothelioma in Subjects with Environmental Asbestos Exposure — M. Demir, H. Kaya, et al. (2016)

Browse more research in Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, or return to medical research.