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Multibiomarker risk score identified Barrett's esophagus more accurately than previous methods
A risk prediction model including a multibiomarker panel of cytokine and leptin serum levels accurately identified Barrett’s esophagus, according to new research data.
Hashem B. El-Serag, MD, MPH, from Houston VA Medical Center and Baylor College of Medicine, and colleagues compared the accuracy of three Barrett’s esophagus (BE) prediction models using data from a cohort of 141 BE patients (mean age, 62.8 years; 98% men; 89% white) and 138 controls (mean age, 61.6 years; 97% men; 65% white) collected from 2008 through 2011.
Hashem B. El-Serag
Model 1 included frequency and duration of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Model 2 included the variables in model 1 plus age, sex, race, waist–hip ratio and Helicobacter pylori status. Model 3 included the variables in model 2 plus a multibiomarker risk score based on serum levels of interleukin (IL)-12p70, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10 and leptin.
Adjusting for potentially confounding variables, risk for BE was found to be associated with serum levels of leptin (P trend=.001), IL-12p70 (P trend=.02), IL-8 (P trend<.001), IL-10 (P trend<.001) and IL-6 (P trend=.06). BE risk increased with increasing biomarker score, and patients with a biomarker score of 3 or greater had an estimated 12-fold increase in risk for BE (OR=11.9; 95% CI, 4.06-34.9) compared with patients with scores of 0.
“This study showed that a multibiomarker risk score may provide useful information for stratifying risk of BE; however, this needs to be validated in other veteran populations and there is a need for further research to determine whether such a score would help predict BE risk in the general population,” the researchers concluded. “Identifying additional serum biomarkers associated with risk of BE and adding these to the multibiomarker score may improve predictive ability further.”
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.