Impact of Plasma Focal Adhesion Kinase, Ephrin Receptor Type A4, and Adiponectin in Patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia
Abstract<sec>
<title>BACKGROUND:
Focal adhesion kinase (FAK), ephrin receptor type A4 (EphA4), and adiponectin (ADPN) are important indicators in inflammation, tumor growth, migration, and angiogenesis in some cancers. The predictive impact of their concentrations in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients to be identified remains. The research sought to explore the effect of FAK, EphA4, and ADPN as prognostic biomarkers, and their influence on patient survival, and to look for any potential correlation between their levels with hematological parameters in AML patients.
PATIENTS, MATERIALS, AND METHODS:
The study was carried out on 65 newly diagnosed adult de novo AML patients and 15 controls. Plasma levels were assayed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay at diagnosis. The overall survival (OS) was determined after 12 months.
RESULTS:
The FAK concentrations were significantly (P < 0.001) higher among AML patients than the controls. EphA4 level was insignificantly lower in AML patients than in control (P = 0.902), and insignificantly higher ADPN concentrations among AML patients than the control (P = 0.352). There were no significant differences between monocytic and nonmonocytic AML patients in FAK, EphA4, and ADPN levels. Regarding the OS, cases with lower than median levels of FAK were associated with a significant (P = 0.002) higher OS time in days, and cases with higher than median levels of EphA4 and ADPN had a significant (P = 0.007 and P = 0.039, respectively) higher OS time in days.
CONCLUSIONS:
FAK, EphA4, and ADPN can be used as noninvasive prognostic markers in AML patients with a possible role in AML pathogenesis, and resistance to chemotherapy.
