Serum HSP70 A Novel Biomarker for Early Detection of Pancreatic Cancer

Objectives: Heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) is overexpressed in human pancreatic cancer cell lines. To determine if serum HSP70 levels are elevated in patients with pancreatic cancer and can function as a biomarker for early detection of pancreatic cancer. Methods: Study subjects were divided into 3 groups: histologically proven pancreatic cancer (PC; n = 23), chronic pancreatitis (CP; n = 12), and matched normal control subjects (C; n = 10). Serum HSP70 levels were determined using a novel immunoelectrophoresis method developed and validated by the authors. Significance of difference between the groups was analyzed with analysis of variance (ANOVA). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed to discriminate patients with pancreatic cancer from normal controls. Results: The mean +/- SE serum HSP70 levels in the PC, CP, and C groups were 1.68 +/- 0.083 ng/mL, 0.40 +/- 0.057 ng/mL, and 0.04 ng/mL, respectively. Serum HSP70 levels in the PC group were significantly higher compared with either the CP or C groups (P < 0.01). The sensitivity and specificity of elevated serum HSP70 in the PC group was 74% and 90%, respectively. Conclusions: Serum HSP70 levels are significantly increased in patients with pancreatic cancer and may be useful as an additional biomarker for the detection of pancreatic cancer.