Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, and early detection is crucial for improving survival rates and treatment outcomes. However, not all cancer diagnostic tests are equally reliable or accurate, and some factors may affect the results of these tests.

One of these factors is gender. In a recent study published in Cell Journal [1], researchers from Celer Diagnostics and other institutions investigated how gender influences the level of a protein called HER-2 in blood plasma. HER-2 is a well-known biomarker for breast cancer, meaning that its presence or absence can indicate the likelihood of having or developing the disease. But did you know that it can also be detected in blood plasma? In fact, plasma HER-2 levels can reflect the status of HER-2 expression in tumor tissues and can be used as a non-invasive diagnostic tool for breast cancer.

However, plasma HER-2 levels are not only influenced by tumor presence or progression, but also by other factors such as age, menopause, and gender. In a recent study published in Cell Journal [1], our CEO Dr. Faezeh Shekari and her colleagues from Firoozeh Diagnosis Technology (FDT) at the mother company in Iran, and other institutions investigated the effect of gender on plasma HER-2 levels in healthy individuals.

They found that healthy male individuals had significantly higher plasma HER-2 levels than healthy female individuals, regardless of age. This finding suggests that gender is an important factor to consider when interpreting plasma HER-2 levels and that normal ranges should be established separately for males and females.

The researchers measured the plasma HER-2 level in 100 healthy male and female individuals using Celer Kits, a novel type of liquid biopsy that uses extracellular vesicles (EVs) as a source of biomarkers. EVs are tiny particles that are released by cells and carry information about their origin and status. Celer Kits are fast, cost-effective, and non-invasive diagnostic tools that can detect cancer at its early stages with high accuracy.

The results showed that healthy male individuals had significantly higher plasma HER-2 levels than healthy female individuals, regardless of age or body mass index. This finding suggests that gender is an important factor that should be considered when interpreting the results of plasma HER-2 tests, as it may affect the sensitivity and specificity of the test.

The study also revealed that plasma HER-2 levels were correlated with another protein called ASPH, which is involved in cancer progression and metastasis. ASPH is one of the seven biometrics that Celer Kits observe in blood samples, along with five other biometrics that is also observed in the physical biopsy. The correlation between plasma HER-2 and ASPH indicates that these two proteins may have a synergistic effect on cancer development and diagnosis.

This study is the first to report the gender difference in plasma HER-2 levels using EV-based diagnosis, and it highlights the importance of stratifying the results of cancer biomarker tests according to gender. It also demonstrates the potential of Celer Kits as a powerful and innovative tool for cancer detection and prediction.

This article is based on the original research article by Dr. Faezeh Shekari, CEO of Celer Diagnostics, and her colleagues[1].
Celer Diagnostics is a company that aims to redefine cancer diagnostics by developing EV-based diagnostic kits that are fast, cost-effective, and non-invasive. To learn more about Celer Kits, please contact us by email.

1. Healthy Male Individuals Possess Higher Plasma HER-2 Level than Females; doi: 10.22074/CELLJ.2022.562589.1134