Elevated levels of MIC-1/GDF15 in the cerebrospinal fluid of patients are associated with glioblastoma and worse outcome.

Full Abstract

For patients with brain tumors identification of diagnostic and prognostic markers in easy accessible biological material, such as plasma or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), would greatly facilitate patient management. MIC-1/GDF15 (growth differentiation factor 15) is a secreted protein of the TGF-beta superfamily and emerged as a candidate marker exhibiting increasing mRNA expression during malignant progression of glioma. Determination of MIC-1/GDF15 protein levels by ELISA in the CSF of a cohort of 94 patients with intracranial tumors including gliomas, meningioma and metastasis revealed significantly increased concentrations in glioblastoma patients (median, 229 pg/ml) when compared with control cohort of patients treated for non-neoplastic diseases (median below limit of detection of 156 pg/ml, p < 0.0001, Mann-Whitney test). However, plasma MIC-1/GDF15 levels were not elevated in the matching plasma samples from these patients. Most interestingly, patients with glioblastoma and increased CSF MIC-1/GDF15 had a shorter survival (p = 0.007, log-rank test). In conclusion, MIC-1/GDF15 protein measured in the CSF may have diagnostic and prognostic value in patients with intracranial tumors.

Author information

Author/s: Shnaper, Sophie (S); Desbaillets, Isabelle (I); Brown, David A (DA); Murat, Anastasia (A); Migliavacca, Eugenia (E); Schluep, Myriam (M); Ostermann, Sandrine (S); Hamou, Marie-France (MF); Stupp, Roger (R); Breit, Samuel N (SN); de Tribolet, Nicolas (N); Hegi, Monika E (ME);

Affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Laboratory of Brain Tumor Biology and Genetics, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Comparative Study; Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Journal: International journal of cancer. Journal international du cancer (Int J Cancer), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2009-Dec; vol 125 (issue 11) : pp 2624-30

Dates: Created 2009/10/05; Completed 2009/11/06;

PMID: 19521960, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 11/6/2009, IMS Date: )

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