The assay and clinical significance of serum thymidine kinase 1 in patients with colorectal carcinoma

Background Thymidine kinase 1 was regarded as a good serological marker for cell proliferation. In recent years, the role of thymidine kinase 1 in occurrence, development, and prognosis of tumors gradually attracted people's attention and had been regarded as a sensitive indicator of tumor. The aim of the present study was to investigate the clinical value of detection of serum thymidine kinase 1 in colorectal carcinoma. Methods In this study, the level of serum thymidine kinase 1 in 150 patients with colorectal carcinoma, 36 patients with benign colorectal diseases, and 40 normal controls was determined by a chemiluminescence dot blot assay. Results The level of serum thymidine kinase 1 in patients with colorectal carcinoma was much higher than that in patients with benign colorectal diseases and normal controls (P < 0.01), but there was no significant difference between the level of serum thymidine kinase 1 in patients with benign colorectal diseases and that in normal controls (P > 0.05). The level of serum thymidine kinase 1 declined significantly 1 month after operation. The positive rate of serum thymidine kinase 1 in patients with colorectal carcinoma was much higher than other digestive tumor markers [carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), carbohydrate antigen (CA-199, CA-724)]. Conclusions The detection of serum thymidine kinase 1 might have high clinical value in auxiliary diagnosis, curative effect monitoring, and prognosis judgment of colorectal carcinoma.