Cancer-Causing Gene Found in Plasma May Help Predict Outcomes for Patients

University of Cincinnati researchers have discovered that a human cancer-causing gene, called DEK, can be detected in the plasma of head and neck cancer patients, which may help doctors understand how a person’s immune system could be used to treat cancer or predict outcomes in patients. In the study, researchers collected whole blood from either patients with newly diagnosed and untreated head and neck cancer or normal healthy participants who were the same age. Plasma was separated from the samples, and an ELISA test was administered. Plasma DEK levels were compared to normal control levels, tumor stage, age and smoking status, as well as to inflammatory markers in the plasma and tissue that can signify cancer.

“We found that DEK was present in the plasma of both healthy control subjects and those with head and neck cancer,” said Trisha Wise-Draper, MD, PhD, assistant professor in the division of hematology oncology at the UC college of Medicine, a member of both the Cincinnati Cancer Center and UC Cancer Institute, and principal investor on the study. “Overall, DEK was decreased in head and neck cancer patients compared to healthy patients, but it was inversely correlated with IL-6, which is secreted by T cells (white blood cells that play a role in immunity) and triggers an immune response, in the plasma. The immune system’s reaction to the tumor also appeared to be linked with high DEK plasma levels. So, although DEK presence is increased in head and neck cancer tissue, plasma DEK levels are decreased in patients when compared with healthy individuals and are further decreased in patients with advanced cancers.”

According to Dr. Wise-Draper, these findings, along with DEK’s link with IL-6 levels, suggests that high DEK levels may mean better outcomes for patients. “Furthermore, high DEK levels in the plasma may predict better immunotherapy in terms of cancer treatment,” she says. “Further analyses are ongoing to determine whether DEK levels predict response to various treatments, correlate with the body’s immune response and whether DEK presence in the serum will predict remaining disease or early relapse. This information will be important to verify DEK plasma measurements as a clinically useful test and may give insight to future personalized and targeted treatment strategies for head and neck cancer.”