Evidence map›Paper›PMID 26299616›Full record

ArticleOncotarget2015

Evaluating blood levels of neuron specific enolase, chromogranin A, and circulating tumor cells as Merkel cell carcinoma biomarkers.

Maria Rita Gaiser, Kenneth Daily, Jochen Hoffmann, Maik Brune, Alexander Enk, Isaac Brownell

Open access · diamondAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Oncotarget, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
16citing papers in PubMed
1.9field-weighted citation impact, top 13% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

16 citing papers in PubMed, 38 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Multiple Merkel cell carcinoma: a case report.Oxford medical case reports · 2023
    Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Review
  5. Article
  6. Review
  7. Review
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. [Merkel cell carcinoma].Der Hautarzt; Zeitschrift fur Dermatologie, Venerologie, und verwandte Gebiete · 2019
    Article
  11. Circulating Cell-Free miR-375 as Surrogate Marker of Tumor Burden in Merkel Cell Carcinoma.Clinical cancer research : an official journal of the American Association for Cancer Research · 2018
    Article
  12. Article
  13. Loss of epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) in infiltrative basal cell carcinoma.International journal of clinical and experimental pathology · 2018
    Article
  14. Review
  15. Article
  16. Merkel Cell Carcinoma Therapeutic Update.Current treatment options in oncology · 2016
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

Maria Rita GaiserDepartment of Dermatology, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
Kenneth DailyDermatology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Jochen HoffmannDepartment of Dermatology, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
Maik BruneDepartment of Internal Medicine I and Clinical Chemistry, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
Alexander EnkDepartment of Dermatology, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
Isaac BrownellDermatology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Heidelberg University · DENational Cancer Institute · US

Funding

Molecular pathogenesis of Merkel cell carcinomaZIABC011394 · NCI · DIVISION OF BASIC SCIENCES - NCI · PI BROWNELL, ISAAC · 2011 to 2021
$6.8M
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMerkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare, aggressive neuroendocrine skin cancer. Although used to monitor MCC patients, the clinical utility of neuron-specific enolase (NSE) and chromogranin A (ChrA) blood levels is untested. EpCAM-positive circulating tumor cells (CTC) reflect disease status in several epithelial tumors. Here we investigate the use of NSE and ChrA blood levels and CTC counts as biomarkers for MCC disease behavior.

methodsNSE and ChrA blood levels from 60 patients with MCC were retrospectively analyzed; 30 patients were additionally screened for CTC. Biomarker values were correlated to clinical parameters.

resultsDespite routine use by some physicians, NSE and ChrA blood levels did not correlate with progression free survival, disease specific survival, or MCC recurrence. We found CTC in 97% of tested MCC patients. CTC counts were elevated in patients with active disease, suggesting their potential use in monitoring MCC.

conclusionsNSE and ChrA levels were not effective in predicting outcomes or detecting recurrences of MCC. In contrast, CTC counts have potential utility as a biomarker for MCC disease behavior.

Indexed as

AdultAgedAged, 80 and overBiomarkers, TumorCarcinoma, Merkel CellCell CountChromogranin ADisease-Free SurvivalFemaleHumansKaplan-Meier EstimateMaleMiddle AgedNeoplasm Recurrence, LocalNeoplastic Cells, CirculatingPhosphopyruvate HydrataseBiomarkers, TumorCHGA protein, humanChromogranin APhosphopyruvate Hydratasechromogranin Acirculating tumor cellsEpCAMMerkel cell carcinomaneuron specific enolase

Identifiers

PMID26299616
PMCPMC4694915
OpenAlexW1606798652

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.