Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38160662›Full record

ArticleOncology2024

Alpha-2-Macroglobulin Is a Novel Anticancer Agent.

Francesco Facchiano, Daniela D'Arcangelo, Antonio Facchiano

Open access · greenAbstract readNews
In one paragraph

Article in Oncology, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
1.2field-weighted citation impact, top 18% 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

5 citing papers in PubMed, 5 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Human α2-Macroglobulin: Architecture, Mechanisms, and Functional Implications.FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology · 2026
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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

3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Francesco FacchianoDepartment of Oncology and Molecular Medicine, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy.
Daniela D'ArcangeloIstituto Dermopatico dell'Immacolata, IDI-IRCCS, FLMM, Rome, Italy.
Antonio FacchianoIstituto Dermopatico dell'Immacolata, IDI-IRCCS, FLMM, Rome, Italy.
Istituto Superiore di Sanità · IT

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionMelanoma is the most aggressive skin cancer, with an increasing occurrence. Despite the recent important improvements due to novel immunotherapy approaches, when late diagnosed, melanoma prognosis is poor due to the metastatic progression and drug-resistance onset. Therefore, there is an urgent need to identify additional therapeutic targets. Melanoma invasive behavior is related to the activity of metalloproteases, able to degrade extracellular matrix leading to tumor dissemination. A recent study suggested that the most potent proteases inhibitor alpha-2-macroglobulin (A2MG) from plasma of hibernating fishes exerts potent antiproliferative effects. Our previous studies showed a significant reduction of A2MG in sera from mice/human melanoma models.

methodsGene and protein expression studies have been performed by using platforms and databases available online containing expression data from thousands of patients and healthy controls.

resultsWe carried out an extensive bioinformatics analysis to evaluate the A2MG gene/protein expression on a large cohort of patients affected by many different cancer types, compared to healthy control subjects, and we found a highly significant difference of A2MG expression in 20 out of 31 cancer types (including melanoma) compared to healthy controls. Similar results were also confirmed at the proteomic level using another platform available online. Further, we found that higher A2MG expression is significantly related to overall survival in different cancers including melanoma.

conclusionOur results strongly suggest A2MG as a novel molecular target in melanoma therapy, as well as in other cancer types.

Indexed as

Antineoplastic AgentsMelanomaalpha-MacroglobulinsAnimalsComputational BiologyFemaleGene Expression Regulation, NeoplasticHumansMiceNeoplasmsPregnancy-Associated alpha 2-MacroglobulinsProteomicsSkin NeoplasmsA2M protein, humanalpha-MacroglobulinsAntineoplastic AgentsPregnancy-Associated alpha 2-MacroglobulinsAlpha-2-macroglobulinAntitumorBiomarkerMelanomaProteases

Identifiers

PMID38160662
PMCPMC11216352
OpenAlexW4390399885

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
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.