Serum olfactomedin 4 (GW112, hGC‐1) in combination with Reg IV is a highly sensitive biomarker for gastric cancer patients

Gastric cancer (GC) is 1 of the most common human cancers. Early detection remains the most promising approach to improving long-term survival of patients with GC. We previously performed Serial Analysis of Gene Expression (SAGE) on 4 primary GCs and identified several GC-specific genes including Reg IV. Of these genes, olfactomedin 4 (OLFM4, also known as GW112 or hGC-1) is a candidate gene for cancer-specific expression. In this study, we examined the expression of olfactomedin 4 in human GC by immunohistochemistry. We also assessed serum olfactomedin 4 levels in GC patients by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. 94 (56%) of 167 GC cases were positive for olfactomedin 4 by immunostaining. Olfactomedin 4 staining was observed more frequently in stage I/II cases than in stage III/IV cases. The serum olfactomedin 4 concentration in presurgical GC patients (n = 123, mean +/- SE, 36.3 +/- 3.5 ng/mL) was significantly higher than that in healthy individuals (n = 76, 16.6 +/- 1.6 ng/mL). In patients with stage I GC, the sensitivity of serum olfactomedin 4 (25%) and Reg IV (35%) was superior to that of CA19-9 (5%) or CEA (3%). Furthermore, in patients with stage I GC, the combination of olfactomedin 4 and Reg IV elevated the diagnostic sensitivity to 52%. These results suggest that serum olfactomedin 4 is a useful marker for GC and its measurement alone or in combination with Reg IV has utility in the early detection of GC.