Background: Recent studies have demonstrated that Kisspeptin, the product of the metastasis suppressor gene KiSS-1, could have a role in tumor progression and invasion. In this pilot study, we investigated the association of plasma Kisspeptin-54 level with colorectal cancer (CRC).
Methods: Plasma Kisspeptin-54 levels were quantified using enzyme-immunoassay (EIA) kits from blood samples of 81 patients with CRC at their initial staging and 59 age-matched healthy controls.
Results: Plasma Kisspeptin-54 levels were significantly higher in CRC patients (86.2 ± 20.5) than in controls (49 ± 12.7; p < 0.005). The cutoff value for Kisspeptin-54 detection was determined as 46 ng/ml, and area under curve (AUC) value was 0.766 with sensitivity 63 %, specificity 81.4 %, positive predictive value 82.2 %, negative predictive value 61.5 %, positive likelihood ratio 3.38, and negative likelihood ratio 0.46. Increased plasma Kisspeptin-54 levels were significantly correlated with nodal involvement of CRC (Spearman, rs = 0.345, p = 0.002). Kisspeptin-54 was also found to be an independent predictive marker for lymph node metastases of CRC (p = 0; Exp(B): 2.053; 95 % CI, 1.255-2.851).
Conclusions: Our results reveal that plasma Kisspeptin-54 measurement could be a useful diagnostic and prognostic parameter for CRC. Further prospective evaluation is needed to validate these findings and to establish the clinical usefulness of Kisspeptin-54 for CRC diagnostics.