Journal of Molecular Biomarkers & Diagnosis

Expression of YKL-40, an Inflammatory Glycoprotein and its Prognostic Implications in Cancer

Abstract

Hurmale Anil Kumar, Jatawa Suresh Kumar, Yadav Mahavir and Tiwari Archana

A cancer prognosticator refers to a substance or process that is a sign of the existence of cancer in the body and foretelling the course of cancer. It might be either a molecule oozed by a tumor or it can be a specific response of the body to the occurrence of cancer. YKL-40 is an inflammatory glycoprotein and a member of mammalian chitanaselike proteins (CHI3L1), is expressed and secreted by several types of solid tumor cells, inflammatory cells and stem cells. The precise physiological role of YKL-40 in cancer is not still clear and suggested that it has a role in cancer cell proliferation, differentiation, metastatic potential, cell attachment and migration, reorganization and tissue remodeling. Several clinical studies of patients with diverse types of cancer indicated that elevated serum level of YKL-40 may be a prognostic marker of cancer. The higher level of YKL-40 in serum also seems to correlate with short survival and poorer prognosis of several cancers including breast, ovary, colorectal, and glioblastoma melanoma. Serum YKL-40 level is often elevated compared to healthy subjects, in patients with disease characterized by inflammation, and increased extracellular remodeling or ongoing fibrosis such as infections. This review depict the present facts regarding YKL-40 and talk about its relation in cancer prediction