Plasma proteins may be capable of distinguishing gallbladder cancer from cholecystitis, which could reduce unnecessary procedures and improve treatment options in patients with suspected gallbladder cancer, according to a recent study published by Nouairia et al in JHEP Reports.
Gallbladder cancer and cholecystitis—also known as gallbladder inflammation—are difficult to distinguish with current diagnostic methods. As a result, patients often undergo extensive and unnecessary surgery.
Study Methods and Results
Researchers analyzed the blood samples of 82 patients with suspected gallbladder cancer. They used machine learning and proteomics to examine 7,500 different proteins with the goal of identifying potential biomarkers.
The researchers found 651 proteins that differed depending on whether the patient had gallbladder cancer or cholecystitis. Notably, they identified a subset of eight plasma proteins—including PAHX, CD8A, HRG, CRIS2, Dynactin subunit 2, AT2A3, CSTN2, and DEPP—that were effective at differentiating gallbladder cancer from cholecystitis with a diagnostic accuracy of 94% in test set validation.
Conclusions
“Our results show that these proteins could be used to develop a noninvasive test that could help [physicians] make better decisions before surgery. This could reduce the number of unnecessary surgeries and improve patients’ quality of life,” highlighted lead study author Ghada Nouairia, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine, Huddinge at the Karolinska Institutet.
The researchers plan to confirm their findings in larger studies and develop clinical tests that can be used in routine health care. They emphasized that their research represents a critical advancement in precision medicine to enhance the diagnosis of gallbladder cancer.
“We are hopeful that our findings can lead to better diagnostic tools and thus better care for patients with suspected gallbladder cancer,” Dr. Nouairia concluded.
Disclosure: The research in this study was funded by the Swedish Society for Medical Research, the Centre for Innovative Medicine at Karolinska Institutet, and Region Stockholm. For full disclosures of the study authors, visit jhep-reports.eu.
