Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1
Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran
2
Cellular and Molecular Endocrine Research Center, Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
3
Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
Background: Medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) is a rare and aggressive form of cancer that can be fatal. Therefore, it is crucial to promptly diagnose and treat this disease. Biomarkers are secreted in response to the presence of a tumor rather than being produced by the tumor itself in many kinds of cancer. In this study, the neuron-specific enolase (NSE) biomarker, which is predominantly found in neuroendocrine tissues, was chosen for analysis.
Objectives: The main objective of this case-control study was to measure and compare the levels of NSE serum biomarkers in patients with MTC and healthy individuals.
Methods: For this case-control study, patients with MTC who had not yet received any treatment were included in the case group, while healthy individuals served as the control group. Demographic and anthropometric data, such as age, gender, marital status, smoking history, medical history, drug use, and BMI, were recorded for both groups. A blood sample of five milliliters was collected from all participants to measure the levels of NSE biomarkers using an ELISA kit. All statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS (version 16.0, SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). A significance level of "P value" less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results: The case group consisted of ninety patients with MTC, while the control group included ninety healthy subjects. Demographic and anthropometric data were carefully matched between the two groups (P <0.05). Within the MTC group, there were 39 men (43.3%) and 51 women (56.7%), with an average age of 29.7±12.8 years. The healthy group was comprised of 42 men (46.7%) and 48 women (53.3%), with an average age of 30.5±11.2 years. The ELISA test results revealed that the mean serum level of NSE in MTC patients was 23.91±2.1 µg/L, whereas in healthy subjects it was 5.11±0.38 µg/L. There were significant differences in the serum concentration of NSE between the control and MTC groups (p = 0.001).
Conclusion: This study shows a significant rise in serum NSE levels in MTC patients when compared to healthy individuals. These preliminary results indicate a possible link between NSE and MTC, necessitating further research.
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