Preoperative Serum Levels of PDGF-AB, PDGF-BB, TGF-α, EGF and ANG-2 in the Diagnosis of Endometrial Cancer

SIMPLE SUMMARY: In modern, highly industrialized countries, endometrial cancer is the most common gynecological cancer. Endometrial cancer risk has been found to be influenced by a number of variables. The pathogenesis of endometrial cancer is heavily influenced by fatty food consumption in excess, a lack of physical activity and the subsequent development of obesity or diabetes. The first symptoms of endometrial cancer may be unusual vaginal bleeding or pelvic discomfort, but they are also typical of many other diseases. It is important to search for new biomarkers that could help detect endometrial cancer, even if it shows symptoms in its early stages. PDGF-AB, PDGF-BB, TGF-α, EGF and ANG-2 are growth factor proteins. We investigated whether growth factor proteins can be clinically useful diagnostic markers in endometrial cancer. The study’s objective was to identify the clinical relevance of the proteins under investigation. We made a comparison between the serum protein concentrations of people with endometrial cancer and those with non-cancerous endometrial lesions. ABSTRACT: (1) Background: It is relevant to find new diagnostic biomarkers for endometrial cancer. This study aimed to investigate whether PDGF-AB, PDGF-BB, TGF-α, EGF and ANG-2 could be considered new useful markers for diagnosis and survival of endometrial cancer. (2) Methods: A total of 93 women diagnosed with endometrial cancer (EC) and 66 patients with non-cancerous endometrial lesions (NCEL) were included in this study. (3) Results: Median serum levels of PDGF-AB, PDGF-BB, TGF-α, EGF and ANG-2 were significantly higher in the EC group compared to the NCEL group (for PDGF-AB, PDGF-BB, TGF-α and ANG-2, p = 0.0000; for EGF, p = 0.0186). The cut-off level of PDGF-AB was set at 127.69 pg/mL with a sensitivity of 87.1% and a specificity of 66.67% (AUC = 0.78, p < 0.000001). The cut-off level of PDGF-BB was set at 207.86 ng/L with a sensitivity of 82.8% and a specificity of 75.76% (AUC = 0.85, p < 0.000001). The cut-off level of TGF-α was set at 33.85 ng/L with a sensitivity of 82.8% and a specificity of 75.76% (AUC = 0.82, p < 0.000001). The cut-off level of EGF was set at 934.76 pg/mL with a sensitivity of 83.87% and a specificity of 28.79% (AUC = 0.61, p = 0.018472). The cut-off level of ANG-2 was set at 3120.68 pg/mL with a sensitivity of 72.04% and a specificity of 93.94% (AUC = 0.87, p < 0.000001). (4) Conlusion: It was concluded that all the proteins studied could be potential diagnostic markers in endometrial cancer.