Background: Tumor-associated trypsin inhibitor (TATI) is expressed with trypsinogen in tumors. We studied the clinical-pathologic association and significance of preoperative serum levels of TATI in gastric cancer patients.
Patients and methods: Pre-treatment serum levels of TATI in patients with gastric cancer and healthy controls were analyzed by a specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).
Results: Statistically significant differences were found in serum TATI levels between patients with gastric cancer and healthy controls (p < 0.0001). There was a significant relationship between the serum levels of TATI and clinicopathological parameters. However, serum levels of TATI were significantly higher in patients with an advanced T stage (T3) (p < 0.001), lymph node metastasis (p < 0.001) and an advanced TNM stage (stage III or IV; p < 0.001).
Conclusions: Our study suggests that TATI may be used to identify potentially high-risk groups of upper gastric carcinoma. Elevated level of TATI was associated with progressive disease or advanced stage.