Circulating Galectin-1 and 90K/Mac-2BP Correlated with the Tumor Stages of Patients with Colorectal Cancer

BACKGROUND The simultaneous correlation of serum galectin-1, galectin-3, and 90K/Mac-2BP levels with clinical stages of patients with colorectal cancer has not yet been clarified. We plan to measure the serum levels of galectin-1, galectin-3, and 90K/Mac-2BP of patients at different stages of colorectal cancer and analyze the correlation of these galectins with stages of colorectal cancers. METHODS 198 colorectal cancer patients (62 ± 13 (range 31-85) years old, 43.6% female) were recruited for this study. Subjects' blood samples were checked for serum galectin-1, galectin-3, 90K/Mac-2BP, and carcinoembryonic antigen by sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. We determined the correlation between plasma concentrations with clinical tumor stages. RESULTS Colorectal cancer patients with larger cancer sizes (stages T3, T4 rather than T1, T2) have higher serum 90K/Mac-2BP (P = 0.014) and patients with lymph node metastasis have higher serum galectin-1 (P = 0.002) but there was not a significant correlation between galectin-3 and tumor staging of colon cancer. In colorectal cancer patients even with normal carcinoembryonic antigen, serum galectin-1 could predict more lymph node metastasis. CONCLUSIONS We found 90K/Mac-2BP correlated with the size of colorectal cancer. Galectin-1 but not galectin-3 was associated with lymph node metastasis. Galectin-1 could predict more lymph node metastasis in colorectal cancer patients with normal serum carcinoembryonic antigen.