Correlation between serum oncogene protein expression and the development of neoplastic disease in a worker exposed to carcinogens

Our plain-English summary of Correlation between serum oncogene protein expression and the development of neoplastic disease in a worker exposed to carcinogens, by P.W. Brandt-Rauf, H.L. Niman, S.J. Smith (Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 1990).

The study

• Authors: P.W. Brandt-Rauf, H.L. Niman, S.J. Smith
• Journal: Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine
• Published: 1990;83(9):594-5
• Type of article: Case report
• Cited by: 18 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

Summary of the article

The authors reported a case suggesting that cancer-gene (oncogene) proteins in the blood might signal neoplastic disease before it becomes clinically apparent. A previously described cohort of 24 workers with known exposure to carcinogenic materials was referred to Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in New York. Their serum was screened for proteins encoded by nine different oncogenes. One 57-year-old white man had a long history of workplace exposure to asbestos, pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls and had smoked 20 cigarettes a day for many years. His serum showed a marked elevation of proteins encoded by the H-ras oncogene, including the p21 protein, although he had no evidence of neoplastic disease at that time. About 18 months later he developed rectal bleeding due to a tubulo-villous adenoma of the colon. Six weeks after the adenoma was removed, his serum oncogene proteins had returned to a normal pattern. The authors presumed that the adenoma was the source of the serum ras protein. They stated that this remained presumptive because insufficient tissue was available to confirm increased oncogene protein in the adenoma itself. They noted that asbestos had been implicated in colorectal cancer. They hypothesized that prolonged asbestos exposure might have increased expression of the ras proto-oncogene, through chromosome damage or by carrying DNA into cells. They concluded that oncogene proteins have potential as markers for early detection, and said prospective studies were under way.

PubMed has no abstract for this study, and the article doesn't print one. We wrote this summary from the full article with the help of AI. It is not the authors' wording.

In plain English

This was a case report about one worker: a 57-year-old white man from a previously described group of 24 workers with known exposure to cancer-causing materials, referred to Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in New York. He had a long history of workplace exposure to asbestos, pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and had smoked 20 cigarettes a day for many years. The article does not name the type of asbestos. His blood was tested for proteins made by nine oncogenes, which are genes linked to cancer. It showed a marked rise in proteins made by the H-ras gene, at a time when he had no sign of tumour. About 18 months later he developed rectal bleeding from a tubulovillous adenoma of the colon, a growth found before it became malignant. Six weeks after it was removed, his blood protein pattern had returned to normal. The authors presumed the adenoma was the source of the protein, but said this could not be confirmed because suitable tissue was not available. They suggested asbestos might have played a role, and concluded that the case points to these blood proteins as possible early markers. Further studies were underway.

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: case report (one worker drawn from a previously described screened cohort)
• Who was studied: One 57-year-old white male, part of a previously described cohort of 24 workers with known exposure to carcinogenic materials referred to Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in New York
• Exposure: Long history of workplace exposure to asbestos (fiber type not stated), pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls; also smoked 20 cigarettes a day for many years
• Main results:
  • The patient's serum showed a marked elevation of proteins encoded by the H-ras oncogene.
  • At the time of that blood test the patient had no evidence of neoplastic disease.
  • Approximately 18 months later the patient developed rectal bleeding due to a tubulovillous adenoma of the colon.
  • Six weeks after removal of the adenoma, the patient's serum oncogene proteins had reverted to a normal pattern.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors presumed that the adenoma was the source of the serum ras protein, detectable 18 months before clinical signs. They hypothesized that prolonged asbestos exposure might have increased ras expression in the colon lining. They concluded that the case points to the potential usefulness of oncogene proteins as markers for early detection of oncogenic changes, and that further prospective studies were underway to confirm this.
• Limitations the authors state:
  • The authors stated that their conclusion that the adenoma was the source of the protein must remain presumptive.
  • Not enough suitable tissue was available to confirm increased oncogene protein in the adenoma itself, so there is no direct evidence that the adenoma was the source.

Topics

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

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Carcinogenic, Colorectal Cancer, Asbestos Exposure.

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