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. 2021 Nov 12:14:8087-8095.
doi: 10.2147/IJGM.S335985. eCollection 2021.

Gastrin-17 Combined with CEA, CA12-5 and CA19-9 Improves the Sensitivity for the Diagnosis of Gastric Cancer

Zhen Wang #  1 , Tang-Ming Mo #  1 , Lei Tian  1 , Jun-Qiang Chen  1
Affiliations

Gastrin-17 Combined with CEA, CA12-5 and CA19-9 Improves the Sensitivity for the Diagnosis of Gastric Cancer

Zhen Wang et al. Int J Gen Med. .

Abstract

Background: Previous studies reported the utility of serum tumor markers (such as CEA, CA12-5 and CA19-9) and gastrin-17 in the diagnosis of gastric cancer (GC). However, the value of these serum markers for diagnosing GC is still under debate. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effect of gastrin-17, CEA, CA12-5 and CA19-9 in the diagnosis of GC.

Methods: The level of CEA, CA12-5, CA19-9 and gastrin-17 was tested in 230 GC patients and 99 healthy people. The value of the four markers for diagnosing GC was analyzed.

Results: The positive rate of Gastrin-17, CEA, CA19-9 and CA12-5 was much higher in GC group (22.61%, 22.61%, 20.00% and 8.26%, respectively) than that of healthy control group (5.05%, 2.02%, 1.01% and 2.02%, respectively). The sensitivity of Gastrin-17, CEA, CA12-5 and CA19-9 in the diagnosis of GC was 22.61%, 22.61%, 6.96% and 20.00%, respectively, and the corresponding specificity was 94.95%, 97.98%, 98.99% and 98.99%, respectively. By using the optimal cut-off value derived from the area under curve (AUC) of receiver operating characteristic curve, the AUC of gastrin-17, CEA, CA12-5, CA19-9 increased to 0.72, 0.64, 0.61 and 0.65, respectively. After combining the four markers, the AUC increased to 0.79 (95% CI: 0.75-0.84), and the corresponding sensitivity and specificity were 65.22% (95% CI: 58.70-71.40%) and 84.85% (95% CI: 76.20-91.30%), respectively, which were significantly higher than those of separate markers (P < 0.05).

Conclusion: CEA, CA12-5, CA19-9 and gastrin-17 were all valuable in the diagnosis of GC, and gastrin-17 had the best diagnostic value among the four markers. Gastrin-17 combined with CEA, CA12-5 and CA19-9 could improve the diagnostic value of GC significantly. Prospective, multi-center studies are needed to validate our findings.

Keywords: diagnosis; gastric cancer; gastrin; tumor marker.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow diagram.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of gastrin-17, CEA, CA12-5, CA19-9 and the combined tests in the diagnosis of gastric cancer.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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