Novel blood test to predict neoplastic activity in healthy patients and metastatic recurrence after primary tumor resection

Mohamed Abdouh; Dana Hamam; Vincenzo Arena; Manuel Arena; Hussam Alamri; Goffredo Orazio Arena

doi:10.33393/jcb.2016.2066

Authors

Mohamed Abdouh Cancer Research Program, McGill University Health Centre-Research Institute, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Dana Hamam Department of Experimental Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Vincenzo Arena Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Santo Bambino Hospital, Catania, Italy
Manuel Arena Department of Surgical Sciences, Organ Transplantation and Advances Technologies, University of Catania, Catania, Italy.
Hussam Alamri Department of Surgery, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Goffredo Orazio Arena Department of Surgery, McGill University, St Mary Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33393/jcb.2016.2066

Keywords:

In vitro platform, transformation, metastasis, screening, prediction, patient serum, cell culture

Abstract

We reported that single oncosuppressor-mutated (SOM) cells turn malignant when exposed to cancer patients’ sera. We tested the possibility to incorporate this discovery into a biological platform able to detect cancer in healthy individuals and to predict metastases after tumor resection. Blood was drawn prior to tumor resection and within a year after surgery. Blood samples from healthy individuals or metastatic patients were used as negative and positive controls, respectively. Patients at risk for cancer were included in the screening cohort. Once treated, cells were injected into nonobese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficiency mice to monitor tumor growth. All samples of sera coming from metastatic patients transformed SOM cells into malignant cells. Four samples from screened patients transformed SOM cells. Further clinical tests done on these patients showed the presence of early cancerous lesions despite normal tumor markers. Based on the xenotransplants size, we were able to predict metastasis in three patients before diagnostic tests confirmed the presence of the metastatic lesions. These data show that this serum-based platform has potentials to be used for cancer screening and for identification of patients at risks to develop metastases regardless of the Tumor Node Metastasis (TNM) stage or tumor markers level.