Purpose. Circulating autoantibodies have been extensively investigated as possible markers for early diagnosis of cancer. The present study was carried out to investigate whether anti-LGALS3BP IgG autoantibodies could be classified as a biomarker for malignant tumors. Methods. An in-house developed enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect autoantibodies to LGALS3BP in sera from 71 patients with various types of cancers and 54 healthy subjects matched by age and gender. Results. Patients with cancer have significant higher circulating levels of anti-LGALS3BP antibodies as compared to control subjects ( ). The test has a sensitivity of 33% and a specificity of 98%. Conclusions. Anti-LGALS3BP IgG autoantibodies are a promising biomarker for malignant tumors and could play a role in the development of a multimarker assay for the early detection of cancer. 1. Introduction Cancer is the second leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for about 600,000 deaths in the United States in 2012 [1]. Despite significant improvements in treatment, early detection remains the most important prognostic factor predicting of better outcome [2–4]. Current cancer screening methods, including mammography for breast cancer, colonoscopy for colon cancer, computed tomography for lung cancer, prostate-specific antigen for prostate cancer, and Papanicolaou stains for cervical cancer, have demonstrated some limitations in terms of sensitivity, specificity, complexity, cost, and compliance [5]. Serum tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) have been extensively studied for early cancer detection because of the simplicity and reliability of the tests used for their determination, such as western blot and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Unfortunately, they are transiently secreted and rapidly eliminated from blood circulation [6, 7] and usually reach a detectable concentration only in advanced stage of the disease [8]. Along with TAAs, autoantibodies are frequently detected in sera from patients affected by different types of neoplasms [9]. This finding has been interpreted as an attempt of the immune system to block invasion and spreading of cancer cells in the organism. Circulating autoantibodies have biological and biochemical characteristics that render them particularly suitable to screen subjects at cancer risk. In fact, they may develop early in the process of tumorigenesis, when premalignant or malignant cells begin to express altered molecules as a result of cell transformation [10, 11]. In addition, they can easily be detected in the serum because of the
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