Soluble mesothelin-related peptides levels in patients with malignant mesothelioma

Soluble mesothelin-related peptides (SMRP) are a potential tumor marker for malignant mesothelioma. The aim of this study was to determine the differences in SMRP levels in patients with malignant mesothelioma before treatment and in various responses to treatment and to investigate whether SMRP level could be useful in evaluating tumor response to treatment. The study included patients with malignant mesothelioma treated at the Institute of Oncology Ljubljana between March 2007 and December 2009. Blood samples were collected before treatment and/or in various responses to treatment. SMRP levels were determined using ELISA assay based upon a combination of two monoclonal antibodies. Mann-Whitney test was used to determine the differences in SMRP levels in various responses to treatment. Median SMRP was 2.80 nmol/L (range 0.00-34.80) before treatment, 0.00 nmol/L (range 0.00-0.00) in complete response, 0.48 nmol/L (range 0.00-4.40) in partial response, 1.65 nmol/L (range 0.00-20.71) in stable disease and 7.15 nmol/L (range 0.44-31.56) in progressive disease. Pre-treatment SMRP levels were significantly higher than in stable disease, partial response and complete response (p = 0.006), as were SMRP levels in progressive disease compared to stable disease, partial response and complete response (p < 0.001). Our findings suggest that SMRP may be a useful tumor marker for detecting the progression of malignant mesothelioma and evaluating tumor response to treatment.