The Role of Pentraxin 3 in Gastrointestinal Cancers

Simple Summary Gastrointestinal (GI) cancers are all malignant lesions affecting the esophagus, stomach, liver and intrahepatic bile ducts, gallbladder, pancreas, and small and large intestines. With the rising number of new GI cancer cases, we set out to clarify the role of Pentraxin-3 in their development. This was due to the increasing need to investigate novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets for the identification and treatment of cancerous lesions. Throughout the course of several gastrointestinal malignancies, significant changes in the concentration, tissue, and gene expression of this parameter were observed. In conclusion, the tested protein may be very helpful in the early identification of gastrointestinal malignancies and useful as a therapeutic target.Abstract Gastrointestinal cancers have become a huge problem worldwide as the number of new cases continues to increase. Due to the growing need to explore new biomarkers and therapeutic targets for the detection and treatment of cancerous lesions, we sought to elucidate the role of Pentraxin-3 in the progression of cancerous lesions, as it is involved in the process of angiogenesis and inflammation. Statistically significant changes in the concentration of this parameter have emerged in many gastrointestinal cancer patients. Moreover, it is related to the advancement of cancer, as well as processes leading to the development of those changes. In the case of studies concerning tissue material, both increased and decreased tissue expression of the tested parameter were observed and were dependent on the type of cancer. In the case of cell lines, both human and animal, a significant increase in Pentraxin 3 gene expression was observed, which confirmed the changes observed at the protein level. In conclusion, it can be assumed that PTX3, both at the level of gene expression and protein concentrations, is highly useful in the detection of gastrointestinal cancers, and its use as a biomarker and/or therapeutic target may be useful in the future.