CALPROTECTIN IN SCREENING DIAGNOSTICS OF GASTRIC CARCINOMA

Abstract

Calprotectin is a protein which is available in big amount in the cytoplasm of neutrophilic granulocytes, activated macrophages and, to a lesser degree, monocytes. Biological value of the calprotectin is not clear, there are evidences of its antimicrobial, calcium-binding and regulatory action. The main focus of researchers was division of functional and organic pathologies of the intestine. It is considered to be more precise indicator of the pathological process, first of all, inflammatory, than ESR and C-reactive protein and allows to exclude organic pathology of the intestine. In the references available there has been no data on the effectiveness of fecal calprotectin use to diagnose organic pathology of the stomach including tumor formation. We have investigated the efficiency of fecal calprotectin use in the screening diagnostics of gastric cancer in 43 patients with gastric cancer, 36 patients with gastroduodenal ulcers and 27 patients aged 17-80 with gastric dyspepsia (average age 45±6,82 years old). It was revealed that the level of fecal calprotectin is significantly higher at gastric cancer than at gastric dyspepsia, and does not differ from the same analysis at gastroduodenal ulcers. The analysis is highly specific, that makes it useful in the screening diagnostics of the gastric cancer.