Serum level of progranulin in Egyptian acute myeloid leukemia patients at diagnosis and after chemotherapy treatment

Background Progranulin (PGRN) is a highly conserved secreted protein that is expressed in multiple cell types, both in the Central Nervous System (CNS) and in peripheral tissues. Both directly and through its conversion to granulins, PGRN regulates cell growth, survival, repair, and inflammation. PGRN has a major role in the regulation of lysosomal function and microglial responses in the CNS. Also, PGRN has significant biological effects on different types of cancer. This protein is a regulator of tumorigenesis because it stimulates cell proliferation, migration, invasion, angiogenesis, and malignant transformation. Its role has been studied in different types of cancer, for example, bladder cancer, ovarian, and breast cancer, and a few studies are done in hematological malignancies. Aim and objectives To measure the levels of PGRN in the serum of adult patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) before and after treatment and correlate that with prognosis. Patients and methods Sixty participants included 20 healthy controls and 40 patients diagnosed as de novo AML with measurement of serum PGRN twice (at the time of diagnosis before treatment and after treatment at day 28). Results PGRN levels in healthy participants were in the range from 80 to 370 pg/ml with the mean value of 155 pg/ml, whereas in the patients, the range was from 215 to 545 with the mean value of 346 pg/ml, indicating a highly significant difference between the control (healthy persons) group and patients’ group. The authors have also decreased in serum PGRN in responders with an average level that was 300 pg/ml, which was statistically significant. Conclusion The PGRN level is high in AML and has high sensitivity and specificity as a diagnostic marker for AML and might need targeted therapy.