Chitinase-3-like-1/YKL-40 as marker of circulating tumor cells

Gerhard Hamilton; Barbara Rath; Otto Burghuber

doi:10.3978/j.issn.2218-6751.2015.04.04

Chitinase-3-like-1/YKL-40 as marker of circulating tumor cells

Transl Lung Cancer Res. 2015 Jun;4(3):287-91. doi: 10.3978/j.issn.2218-6751.2015.04.04.

Authors

Gerhard Hamilton¹, Barbara Rath¹, Otto Burghuber¹

Affiliation

¹ 1 Ludwig Boltzmann Cluster of Translational Oncology, A-1090 Vienna, Austria ; 2 Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for COPD and Respiratory Epidemiology, 1140 Vienna, Austria.

PMID: 26207216
PMCID: PMC4483474
DOI: 10.3978/j.issn.2218-6751.2015.04.04

Abstract

Ex vivo expansion of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) of small cell lung cancer (SCLC) patients enabled systematic screening of secreted cytokines. Permanent CTC cultures of different patients shared secretion of chitinase-3-like-1 (CHI3L1)/YKL-40, known to be upregulated in a range of tumor entities and to be associated with increased metastasis and decreased survival. This protein lacks enzymatic activity and its mechanism of promoting tumor dissemination has not been resolved. Results from SCLC CTC cultures suggest CHI3L1 as marker and important effector of tumor cell dissemination in the peripheral blood. Furthermore, this protein may link chronic inflammation of the lung, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung cancer.

Keywords: Small cell lung cancer (SCLC); YKL-40; chitinase-3-like-1 (CHI3L1); chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD); circulating tumor cells (CTCs); prognostic marker; secretome.

Publication types

Review