SELDI-TOF MS Combined with Magnetic Beads for Detecting Serum Protein Biomarkers and Establishment of a Boosting Decision Tree Model for Diagnosis of Pancreatic Cancer

Aim: New technologies for the early detection of pancreatic cancer (PC) are urgently needed. The aim of thepresent study was to screen for the potential protein biomarkers in serum using proteomic fingerprint technology.
Methods: Magnetic beads combined with surface-enhanced laser desorption/ionization (SELDI) TOF MS wereused to profile and compare the protein spectra of serum samples from 85 patients with pancreatic cancer, 50patients with acute-on-chronic pancreatitis and 98 healthy blood donors. Proteomic patterns associated withpancreatic cancer were identified with Biomarker Patterns Software.
Results: A total of 37 differential m/zpeaks were identified that were related to PC (P < 0.01). A tree model of biomarkers was constructed with thesoftware based on the three biomarkers (7762 Da, 8560 Da, 11654 Da), this showing excellent separation betweenpancreatic cancer and non-cancer., with a sensitivity of 93.3% and a specificity of 95.6%. Blind test data showeda sensitivity of 88% and a specificity of 91.4%.
Conclusions: The results suggested that serum biomarkers forpancreatic cancer can be detected using SELDI-TOF-MS combined with magnetic beads. Application of combinedbiomarkers may provide a powerful and reliable diagnostic method for pancreatic cancer with a high sensitivityand specificity.