Evaluation of serum cathepsin B and D in relation to clinicopathological staging of colorectal cancer

Table 1 Activity of cathepsin B and D in serum of patients with colorectal carcinoma

	Healthy people	Control serum	66.9 ± 2.8
	(n = 20)
Cathepsin B	Colorectal patients	Before operation1	7.9 ± 8.51b
nmoL pNA/mL	(n = 63)	(serum sample a)
		After operation	21.0 ± 8.7f
		(serum sample b)
	Healthy people	Control serum	30.2 ± 2.2
	(n = 20)
Cathepsin D	Colorectal patients	Before operation	58.7 ± 24.22d
nmoL Tyr/mL	(n = 63)	(serum sample a)
		After operation	49.9 ± 16.9h
		(serum sample b)

Statistical differences:

¹P = 0.031 -comparison between cathepsin B serum samples a and b.

²P = 0.09 -comparison between cathepsin D serum samples a and b.

^bP < 0.00001,

^dP < 0.00001,

^hP < 0.00001,

^fP < 0.00001 vs control serum.

Table 2 Correlation of serum cathepsin B and D activity and clinicopathological findings

Variable		n = 63	Cathepsin B (nmol/L pNA/mL)				Cathepsin D (nmol Tyr/mL)
			Before operation	P	After operation	P	Before operation P		After operation	P
Sex	M	42	19.1 ± 8.9	NS	21.7 ± 9.1	NS	59.4 ± 26.3	NS	49.5 ± 16.3	NS
	F	21	15.3 ± 6.6		19.6 ± 7.9		57.0 ± 19.2		50.9 ± 18.4
Age (yr)	60	16	20.4 ± 12.3	NS	17.4 ± 8.0	P = 0.064	54.2 ± 17.0	NS	51.7 ± 22.0	NS
	>60	47	17.02 ± 6.6		22.4 ± 8.7		60.2 ± 26.1		49.3 ± 14.7
Tumor site	Rectum	30	16.5 ± 7.4	NS	18.4 ± 7.6	NS	59.8 ± 21.6	NS	51.2 ± 19.9	NS
	Colon	33	19.1 ± 9.2		23.5 ± 9.1		57.7 ± 26.3		48.8 ± 13.6
HP type	Adc.	58	18.1 ± 8.4	NS	21.02 ± 8.9	NS	58.7 ± 24.4	NS	50.7 ± 17.0	NS
	Adc. m.	5	10.1 ± 9.3		20.9 ± 7.0		56.0 ± 21.2		43.2 ± 14.2
pT	pT 1+2	5	25.3 ± 0.7	P = 0.0057	30.3 ± 18.7	NS	76.8 ± 23.0	P = 0.053	48.8 ± 16.5	NS
	pT 3+4	53	17.1 ± 8.5		20.3 ± 7.3		56.7 ± 23.6		50.1 ± 17.0
G	2	43	18.8 ± 8.8	NS	21.5 ± 9.2	NS	62.5 ± 25.5	NS	50.4 ± 17.3	NS
	3	15	15.8 ± 7.3		19.9 ± 7.7		50.3 ± 18.8		49.2 ± 16.2
N	(-)	34	18.5 ± 8.5	NS	23.9 ± 8.9	P = 0.0054	65.9 ± 26.5	P = 0.019	49.7 ± 17.2	NS
	(+)	29	17.03 ± 8.4		17.3 ± 7.1		49.1 ± 16.7		50.3 ± 16.6

Statistical differences: see Table 1.