Oncostatin-M as a novel biomarker in colon cancer patients and its association with clinicopathologic variables.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate preoperative serum oncostatin M (OSM) concentration as a diagnostic marker in colon cancer patients and its association with clinicopathologic variables.
Patients and Methods: Preoperative serum OSM concentrations were measured in 100 colon cancer patients and 70 healthy volunteers by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).
Results: Serum OSM concentrations were significantly higher in colon cancer patients than in controls (p < 0.001). Serum OSM concentrations increased significantly with higher T stage (p < 0.001) and were significantly higher in patients with increased tumor burden, lymphovascular involvement, and lymph node and distant metastasis (p < 0.001 for each).
Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first report showing that elevated OSM concentration was associated with colon cancer and its clinicopathologic variables, including invasion and metastasis. These findings indicate that serum OSM may serve as a novel biomarker in the diagnosis of colon cancer.