Is SCUBE1 helpful to predict the arterial thrombotic risk in patients with multi-ple myeloma: a preliminary study

Signal peptide-CUB-EGF-like domain-containing protein 1 (SCUBE1) is expressed in vascular endothelium and human platelets. SCUBE1 levels are increased in acute arterial thrombosis. Multiple myeloma patients are also at increased risk of arterial thrombotic events. This study aimed to measure SCUBE1 levels in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients and to define whether SCUBE1 could be a useful marker determining the arterial thrombotic risk.

SCUBE1 levels of 32 newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients and 41 healthy control subjects were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

Plasma SCUBE1 levels of multiple myeloma patients and control subjects were 6.22 ± 0.9 and 7.95 ± 1.1 ng/ml, respectively. In the patient group, SCUBE1 levels were significantly lower compared to control subjects (p <0.001).

SCUBE1 level measuring does not help to predict the arterial thrombotic risk in multiple myeloma patients. The significantly lower levels of SCUBE1 in multiple myeloma patients are likely to be due to defective platelets and/or increased TNF-α cytokines and is another proof of platelet dysfunction seen in these patients. HIPPOKRATIA 2019, 23(1): 21-24.