Can we consider soluble herpes virus entry mediator (sHVEM) as a tumor marker?

Immune checkpoint molecules have critical roles in directing immune responses into co-inhibitory and co-stimulatory signals. Herpes virus entry mediator (HVEM) is a receptor of tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily with unique features due to its interaction with both inhibitory and stimulatory ligands. The aim of this study was to measure the serum level of the soluble form of HVEM in patients with gastric, colorectal and breast cancers and evaluating its diagnostic and prognostic value.

The concentration of the soluble HVEM (sHVEM) was determined in the serum of 36 patients with breast cancer, 50 patients with colorectal cancer and 59 patients with gastric cancer using ELISA method. Moreover, 50 healthy donors (HD) as well as 31 patients with non-ulcer dyspepsia (NUD) were used as control groups. The patients' samples were obtained from the Biobank of Cancer Research Center, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran.

The level of sHVEM was significantly higher in patients with gastric (P=0.001) and breast cancer (P=0.01) than in control groups (HD). The higher level of sHVEM was observed in colorectal cancer patients in comparison with HD group, although it was not significant. Moreover, the elevated level of sHVEM was shown to be higher significantly in stage III and IV compared to stage I and II in breast cancer (P=0.03). Similar finding was detected in gastric and colorectal cancers, but not to be statistically significant.

The results of the present study suggest that the serum level of sHVEM may be considered as a promising indicator for diagnosis as well as evaluating the progression of cancers such as gastric, breast and colorectal cancers.