Author/Editor		Kos, J; Werle, B; Lah, T; Brunner, N
Title		Cysteine proteinases and their inhibitors in extracellular fluids: markers for diagnosis and prognosis in cancer
Type		članek
Source		Int J Biol Markers
Vol. and No.		Letnik 15, št. 1
Publication year		2000
Volume		str. 84-9
Language		eng
Abstract		Cathepsins B, H and L have been shown to participate in processes of tumor growth, vascularization, invasion and metastasis. Their levels in tumor tissue extracts can provide useful clinical information to predict disease free and overall survival in breast, lung, colorectal, brain and head and neck cancer patients. Recently we have found that both cysteine cathepsins and their endogenous protein inhibitors stefins and cystatin C can also predict prognosis when measured extracellularly. In melanoma and colorectal cancer patients high serum levels of cathepsins B and H correlated with shorter survival. Similarly, increased extracellular levels of stefins A and B and cystatin C correlated significantly with high risk of adverse outcome in cancer patients. However, the cathepsin B/cystatin C complex was found to be less abundant in sera of patients with malignant tumors than in those with benign diseases or in healthy controls, suggesting an imbalance between the enzyme and its inhibitor in cancer patients.
Descriptors		NEOPLASMS CYSTEINE PROTEINASES CYSTEINE PROTEINASE INHIBITORS PROGNOSIS EXTRACELLULAR SPACE CATHEPSINS CATHEPSIN B SURVIVAL ANALYSIS BREAST NEOPLASMS LUNG NEOPLASMS COLORECTAL NEOPLASMS BRAIN NEOPLASMS HEAD AND NECK NEOPLASMS MELANOMA