The relationship between serum lipocalin 2 and angiopoietin-like protein 2 levels and pathological parameters and prognosis of patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma

Yan Jingfang; Jia Linzi; Wang Jun; Yan Feng

doi:10.3760/j.issn.1673-4777.2024.11.018

Abstract：Objective To investigate the relationship of serum lipocalin 2(LCN2)and angiopoietin-like protein 2(ANGPTL2)with pathological features and prognosis in patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma(PTC).Methods A total of 83 PTC patients admitted to Shanxi Province Cancer Hospital from January 2017 to June 2020 were selected as the PTC group,and 83 healthy volunteers were selected as the control group during the same period.The serum levels of LCN2 and ANGPTL2 were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.According to the mean levels of serum LCN2 and ANGPTL2 in PTC patients,they were divided into high/low LCN2 and ANGPTL2 groups.The disease-free survival curves of PTC patients with high/low levels of LCN2 and ANGPTL2 were drawn by Kaplan-Meier method.The prognostic factors of PTC patients were analyzed by Cox regression.Results The serum levels of LCN2 and ANGPTL2 in PTC group were higher than those in control group[(193±84)μg/L vs(87±22)μg/L,(5.8±0.7)μg/L vs(4.1±0.4)μg/L](both P＜0.001).The serum levels of LCN2 and ANGPTL2 in PTC patients were significantly different in patients with different TNM stages,lymph node metastasis and distant metastasis(all P＜0.05).The 3-year disease-free survival rate of 83 patients with PTC was 77.1％(64/83).Kaplan-Meier curve analysis showed that the 3-year disease-free survival rate of the high LCN2 group was lower than that of the low LCN2 group,and the 3-year disease-free survival rate of the high ANGPTL2 group was lower than that of the low ANGPTL2 group(all P＜0.05).Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that TNM stage Ⅲ to Ⅳ,lymph node metastasis,distant metastasis,elevated LCN2 and ANGPTL2 were independent risk factors for poor prognosis of PTC patients(all P＜0.05).Conclusion The serum levels of LCN2 and ANGPTL2 in PTC patients are increased,which are closely related to TNM stage,lymph node metastasis,distant metastasis and prognosis,and may become new markers for evaluating the progression and prognosis of PTC.