Modulation of plasma complement by the initial dose of epirubicin/docetaxel therapy in breast cancer and its predictive value.

Background: Despite the widespread use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer patients, prediction of individual response to treatment remains an unsolved clinical problem. Particularly, administration of an inefficient chemotherapeutic regimen should be avoided. Therefore, a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy is of particular clinical interest.

Evaluation of soluble CD44v6 as a potential serum marker for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

In recent years, the measurement of soluble CD44 levels in the circulation of patients with malignant diseases has been introduced as a new and simple diagnostic tool for the detection of human cancer. The high CD44v6 expression in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) would enable the use of soluble CD44v6 proteins present in the circulation of HNSCC patients as a marker of disease. In the present study, we determined CD44v6 plasma levels using a domain-specific ELISA in healthy volunteers, non-cancer patients, and HNSCC patients before and after surgical removal of the tumor.

Significant elevation of tumour-associated isoforms of soluble CD44 in serum of normal individuals caused by cigarette smoking.

While performing a prospective study on sCD44 variant isoforms as tumour markers in certain malignancies, we detected relevant differences in the control group between non-smokers and smokers. For a detailed evaluation of these findings, serum levels of sCD44 variant proteins, including sequences encoded by exon v5 and exon v6, respectively, were adjusted to sex, age and smoking habit. We were able to demonstrate a significant elevation of serum levels of sCD44v5 and sCD44v6 in normal individuals due to cigarette smoking (non-smokers to smokers: sCD44v5: 33 +/- 11 microg/l to 62 +/- 30 microg/l; sCD44v6: 142 +/- 34 microg/l to 232 +/- 86 microg/l).

Circulating adhesion molecules as prognostic factors for cutaneous melanoma.

Background: Overexpression of adhesion molecules in tissues of human neoplasms, including malignant melanoma, has been reported to be clinically relevant, but the predictive value of circulating adhesion molecules for clinical outcome and life expectancy in patients with primary malignant melanoma (PMM) and metastases of primary malignant melanoma (MMM) remains undetermined.

Objective: Our purpose was to examine the prognostic relevance of circulating adhesion molecules, namely circulating CD44 standard (cCD44std), and the isoforms CD44v5 (cv5), CD44v6 (cv6), and CD44v10(cv10), circulating intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (cICAM-1), and circulating platelet/endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 (cPECAM-1, CD31).

Methods: Levels of cCD44std, cv5, cv6, cv10, cICAM-1, and PECAM-1 were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays in 119 patients with PMM and MMM, in 12 persons with dysplastic nevi (Clark's nevi), and in 28 patients with inflammatory cutaneous diseases.

Serum levels of soluble CD44 variant isoforms are elevated in rheumatoid arthritis.

Serum levels of soluble CD44 variant proteins including sequences encoded by exon v5 and exon v6 (sCD44v5, sCD44v6) were determined in patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases: 56 with rheumatoid arthritis (RA+) and 31 with miscellaneous inflammatory rheumatic diseases (MIRD). There were very significantly higher serum levels of sCD44v5 and sCD44v6 in patients with RA+ than in those with MIRD (RA+ to MIRD: sCD44v5: 81 +/- 54 ng/ml to 33 +/- 13 ng/ml; sCD44v6: 237 +/- 124 ng/ml to 166 +/- 53 ng/ml; both P << 0.001).