Serological Autoantibody Profiling In Bladder Cancer Using Protein Arrays

Main Category: Urology / Nephrology
Also Included In: Cancer / Oncology
Article Date: 17 Apr 2008 - 4:00 PST

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A novel application of high-throughput protein arrays for serum autoantibody profiling offers a new, comprehensive non-invasive diagnostic tool for bladder cancer, and suggests a potential therapeutic target for the disease, according to researchers from the Spanish National Cancer Research Center.

Using protein arrays with more than 12,000 proteins, Marta Sánchez-Carbayo, Ph.D., and colleagues at the Center in Madrid, Spain, examined serum samples from 18 patients with bladder cancer and six control participants. The control group included patients with other neoplasias, benign urological diseases and healthy individuals.

The researchers identified a panel of 171 autoantibodies in patients with bladder cancer that were differentially expressed from the control group. These bladder cancer tumor-specific antigens (TAAs) included proteins linked to cell proliferation, signal transduction, apoptosis (programmed cell death), DNA-binding and transcription factors.

"The study has identified many bladder cancer TAAs in the serum, representing a mirror of the bladder tumors," Sánchez-Carbayo said. "Thus, autoantibody profiling represents a high-throughput approach for biomarker discovery and characterizing bladder cancer progression."

Immunohistochemical analyses confirmed the increased protein expression of identified TAAs in bladder tumors, according to Sánchez-Carbayo. In addition, they highlighted the significance of protein expression patterns for bladder cancer diagnostics, tumor staging and prognosis.

Researchers determined that clusterin protein expression patterns were strongly linked to tumor size, T1 substaging or progression into muscle invasive disease.

"The novel application of high-throughput protein arrays for serum autoantibody profiling is also providing critical information to identify potential immunological therapeutic targets," Sánchez-Carbayo said.

Although these results are promising, a lot of work remains, Sánchez-Carbayo says. In the next step, the researchers will try to determine if autoantibody profiling can subclassify non-invasive and muscle invasive bladder tumors and predict clinical response to current immunotherapy and chemotherapy. Research will also continue on developing novel therapies that target the immune system or the tumor, she says.

This was presented at the 2008 Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research.

The mission of the American Association for Cancer Research is to prevent and cure cancer. Founded in 1907, AACR is the world's oldest and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research. The membership includes nearly 27,000 basic, translational, and clinical researchers; health care professionals; and cancer survivors and advocates in the United States and more than 70 other countries. AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise from the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer through high-quality scientific and educational programs. It funds innovative, meritorious research grants. The AACR Annual Meeting attracts more than 17,000 participants who share the latest discoveries and developments in the field. Special Conferences throughout the year present novel data across a wide variety of topics in cancer research, treatment, and patient care. AACR publishes five major peer-reviewed journals: Cancer Research; Clinical Cancer Research; Molecular Cancer Therapeutics; Molecular Cancer Research; and Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. Its most recent publication and its sixth major journal, Cancer Prevention Research, is the only journal worldwide dedicated exclusively to cancer prevention, from preclinical research to clinical trials. The AACR also publishes CR, a magazine for cancer survivors, patient advocates, their families, physicians, and scientists. CR provides a forum for sharing essential, evidence-based information and perspectives on progress in cancer research, survivorship, and advocacy.

American Association for Cancer Research