Tenascin XB Is a Novel Diagnostic Marker for Malignant Mesothelioma

Background/Aim: Malignant mesothelioma (MM) is an aggressive tumor with poor prognosis. The establishment of a new diagnostic and therapeutic approach for MM is expected. This study investigated the diagnostic significance of tenascin XB (TNXB) for MM. Materials and Methods: TNXB gene expression was found to be significantly higher in MM tumor tissues compared to paired normal tissues, as assessed by the Gene Expression Omnibus database. The inhibition of TNXB using small interfering RNAs suppressed the proliferation and colony formation of MM cells. Expression of TNXB and calretinin, a current diagnostic marker of MM, was evaluated by immunohistochemistry. Results: The sensitivity and specificity of TNXB for MM were 80.0% and 69.5%, respectively. When the detection of TNXB was combined with that of calretinin, 83.3% of MM cases were detected. Conclusion: These findings suggest that TNXB is a novel diagnostic biomarker for MM. A combination of detecting TNXB and calretinin may be useful for the differential diagnosis of MM from lung adenocarcinoma.