An analysis of the clinical value of CHI3L1 as a biomarker of multiple myeloma progression

Abstract

Background

The aim of this study was to systematically assess the relationship between Chitinase 3-like protein-1 (CHI3L1) protein and disease progression in multiple myeloma (MM) and to explore its potential clinical value as a biomarker to provide a basis for optimizing treatment strategies.

Methods

136 patients with MM were divided into two groups according to the efficacy: group 1–95 patients with non-progressing MM; group 2–41 patients with progressing MM. The concentration of CHI3L1 in the serum of the patients was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

Results

CHI3L1 concentration in patients' serum was significantly greater than in healthy controls (P < 0.001), which patients with International Staging System (ISS) III had significantly higher CHI3L1 concentration than those with stage I/II. Patients in the progressed group had significantly higher CHI3L1 concentration than those in the non-progressed group by comparative analyses. Otherwise, multifactorial logistic regression analyses showed that CHI3L1 concentration was an independent predictor of MM progression after other confounding factors were excluded, and that the risk of progression in the high-concentration group was increased by 243.6 %, relative to the low-concentration group. Moreover, smoothed curve fitting analysis further confirmed that serum CHI3L1 concentration was linearly related to the probability of progression in MM patients, and the risk of progression increased as CHI3L1 concentration increased.

Conclusions

This study indicated that CHI3L1 concentration in the serum of MM patients was closely correlated with disease severity. High concentration CHI3L1 predicted the progression of MM disease, suggesting its clinical application potential in predicting disease prognosis.