High circulating activin A plasma levels are associated with tumour stage and poor survival in treatment-naive lung squamous cell cancer patients
(2025) In Translational Oncology 51.- Abstract
Objectives: Lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) is associated with a poor prognosis and a lack of specific treatment options. The dysregulation of activin A (ActA) has been reported in various malignancies. Herein, we investigated the diagnostic and prognostic significance of ActA in LUSC. Materials and methods: ActA concentrations were measured using ELISA in plasma samples of 128 LUSC patients (stage I-IV) and 73 controls, and correlated those values with clinicopathological parameters and survival. Results: ActA plasma levels were significantly higher in therapy-naive LUSC patients compared to controls (444.1 ± 310.9 pg/mL vs 338.9 ± 145.5 pg/mL, p = 0.010). ActA levels significantly correlated with advanced stage as well as with T... (More)
Objectives: Lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) is associated with a poor prognosis and a lack of specific treatment options. The dysregulation of activin A (ActA) has been reported in various malignancies. Herein, we investigated the diagnostic and prognostic significance of ActA in LUSC. Materials and methods: ActA concentrations were measured using ELISA in plasma samples of 128 LUSC patients (stage I-IV) and 73 controls, and correlated those values with clinicopathological parameters and survival. Results: ActA plasma levels were significantly higher in therapy-naive LUSC patients compared to controls (444.1 ± 310.9 pg/mL vs 338.9 ± 145.5 pg/mL, p = 0.010). ActA levels significantly correlated with advanced stage as well as with T and N factors. High circulating ActA levels were significantly increased in metastatic disease patients compared to M0 disease. Further, patients with ActA levels above a computationally established optimal cut-off value of 443.0 pg/mL had a significantly worse median overall (OS, 17.63 vs 64.77 months, HR 0.391, 95 % CI 0.200–0.762, p < 0.001) and median disease-/progression-free survival (DFS/PFS; 11.57 vs 30.20 months, HR 0.502, 95 % CI 0.248–1.019, p = 0.020). Multivariate analysis revealed that high ActA levels were an independent prognostic factor for shorter OS (p = 0.001) and DFS/PFS (p = 0.018). A newly developed score combining CRP and ActA levels was also an independent prognostic factor for OS and DFS/PFS. Conclusion: Measurement of circulating ActA levels may help identify advanced-stage LUSC patients, and this value could serve as a prognostic parameter in LUSC. Thus, ActA may be a novel blood-based biomarker for identifying LUSC patients with distant metastasis.
(Less)
- author
- Sinn, Katharina ; Elbeialy, Ahmed ; Mosleh, Berta ; Aigner, Clemens ; Schelch, Karin ; Laszlo, Viktoria ; Dome, Balazs LU ; Hoda, Mir Alireza and Grusch, Michael
- organization
- publishing date
- 2025-01
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Activin A, Biomarker, Lung squamous cell carcinoma, Prognostic factor
- in
- Translational Oncology
- volume
- 51
- article number
- 102153
- publisher
- Neoplasia Press
- external identifiers
-
- pmid:39405924
- scopus:85206197153
- ISSN
- 1936-5233
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.tranon.2024.102153
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 7eacf8ac-b8e5-430e-91e9-562cf20f761f
- date added to LUP
- 2024-11-27 13:16:48
- date last changed
- 2025-07-10 08:03:38
@article{7eacf8ac-b8e5-430e-91e9-562cf20f761f,
abstract = {{<p>Objectives: Lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) is associated with a poor prognosis and a lack of specific treatment options. The dysregulation of activin A (ActA) has been reported in various malignancies. Herein, we investigated the diagnostic and prognostic significance of ActA in LUSC. Materials and methods: ActA concentrations were measured using ELISA in plasma samples of 128 LUSC patients (stage I-IV) and 73 controls, and correlated those values with clinicopathological parameters and survival. Results: ActA plasma levels were significantly higher in therapy-naive LUSC patients compared to controls (444.1 ± 310.9 pg/mL vs 338.9 ± 145.5 pg/mL, p = 0.010). ActA levels significantly correlated with advanced stage as well as with T and N factors. High circulating ActA levels were significantly increased in metastatic disease patients compared to M0 disease. Further, patients with ActA levels above a computationally established optimal cut-off value of 443.0 pg/mL had a significantly worse median overall (OS, 17.63 vs 64.77 months, HR 0.391, 95 % CI 0.200–0.762, p < 0.001) and median disease-/progression-free survival (DFS/PFS; 11.57 vs 30.20 months, HR 0.502, 95 % CI 0.248–1.019, p = 0.020). Multivariate analysis revealed that high ActA levels were an independent prognostic factor for shorter OS (p = 0.001) and DFS/PFS (p = 0.018). A newly developed score combining CRP and ActA levels was also an independent prognostic factor for OS and DFS/PFS. Conclusion: Measurement of circulating ActA levels may help identify advanced-stage LUSC patients, and this value could serve as a prognostic parameter in LUSC. Thus, ActA may be a novel blood-based biomarker for identifying LUSC patients with distant metastasis.</p>}},
author = {{Sinn, Katharina and Elbeialy, Ahmed and Mosleh, Berta and Aigner, Clemens and Schelch, Karin and Laszlo, Viktoria and Dome, Balazs and Hoda, Mir Alireza and Grusch, Michael}},
issn = {{1936-5233}},
keywords = {{Activin A; Biomarker; Lung squamous cell carcinoma; Prognostic factor}},
language = {{eng}},
publisher = {{Neoplasia Press}},
series = {{Translational Oncology}},
title = {{High circulating activin A plasma levels are associated with tumour stage and poor survival in treatment-naive lung squamous cell cancer patients}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tranon.2024.102153}},
doi = {{10.1016/j.tranon.2024.102153}},
volume = {{51}},
year = {{2025}},
}