The treatment for endometrial cancer of the uterus, one of the most common forms of gynecologic cancer, is removing the uterus and in some cases chemotherapy if the risk of recurrence is deemed high. About 10-15% of patients, who are considered as low risk patients for recurrence according to classic diagnostics, suffer recurrences. Researchers at Uppsala University and from Turku and Bergen have discovered a new biomarker which makes it possible to identify women with uterine cancer who have a high risk of recurrence.
They used The Human Protein Atlas project, published in 2014, which first mapped the expression of the ASRGL1 protein in the human body’s normal tissues and in different forms of cancer. The protein ASRGL1 is an enzyme that normally exists in healthy cells of the uterus. By searching their public protein atlas database the researchers were able to identify ASRGL1 as a potential new biomarker.
The current study looks at the amount of protein ASRGL1 present in the tumor cells in uterine cancer. It shows a much higher risk of the cancer recurring and death, in patients who had entirely or partially lost ASRGL1 in the tumor cells; whereas, patients with sustained high levels of ASRGL1 had a much lower risk of recurrence. The study also shows that ASRGL1 is an independent prognostic factor, even after compensating for other risk factors such as tumor stage and tumor grade. Based on the amount of ASRGL1 the researchers were able to separate women with a negative prognosis and high risk of recurrence from the ones who fared better after their operation.
The study points out that, analyses of ASRGL1 can become a diagnostic tool to identify those women who have a hidden higher risk of recurrence not diagnosed by classical diagnostics. They could then be offered more extensive treatment.
The researchers intend to take the study forward and find out whether ASRGL1 also can be used for diagnosing tissue biopsies taken before the operation, to identify patients in need of more extensive surgery. The results of the study, although promising, still need more research in order to be accepted.
